Wednesday, July 19, 2023

2023 Grass Court Awards: Cat Mom Plays on Lawn


Hopefully, Frankie will understand...




I've already posted the lists of the Top Players of the grass court season, as well as the "Ms.Backspin" player-of-the-year update.

As for the rest...



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1. PEAK PETRA
...when it's grass season, there's a pretty, pretty, pretty good chance we're gonna hear from Petra Kvitova. And there are few (if any) things better in tennis than the Czech lifting her game on the surface she loves the most.

This year, like clockwork, June arrived, Kvitova posted a loving tweet about how much she enjoys this time of year and -- boom! -- by the end of the month she was lifting another trophy. The 31st of her career. This time it came in Berlin for the first time, her sixth grass court title in a fourth different city over the past thirteen years. The six grass wins ties her with Venus Williams for the most amongst active women on tour.

With wins over Karolina Pliskova (a former Wimbledon finalist), Nadia Podoroska, Caroline Garcia, two-time reigning Rosmalen champ Ekaterina Alexandrova and four-time grass event finalist Donna Vekic in the championship match, Kvitova completed her first no-sets-lost title run in seven years.


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2. SuperMarketa SHOPS AT SW19
...Marketa Vondrousova claims her maiden slam crown as she becomes the lowest-ranked (#42) and first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in the Open era (first overall since 1963), defeating five seeds (#12 V.Kudermetova, #20 Vekic, #32 Bouzkova, #4 Pegula and #6 Jabeur in the final) and a previous SW19 semifinalist (Svitolina) en route, notably rallying from 4-1 down (w/ a BP for 5-1) in the 3rd vs. Pegula in the QF.

She's the third woman representing the Czech Republic to lift the Venus Rosewater dish (after Novotna and Kvitova), not counting Czech-born 9-time champ Martina Navratilova.


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3. THE GREATER THEY ARE THE HARDER THEY FALL ARE TO FELL
...wheelchair living legend Diede de Groot only added to her career resume this grass season, winning her fifth Wimbledon singles crown (19th overall) and third in doubles (17th) -- her 13th career slam sweep -- while extending her singles winning streak to 111 matches.

The 26-year old Dutch great has won the last eleven slam singles titles (going 36-0) and is now just two crowns away for matching new International Tennis Hall of Famer Esther Vergeer's all-time women's record of 21.


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4. IMPOSSIBLY ONS
...on a tennis mission to spread her encouraging words to all who will listen and, you know, some day win a slam title, Ons Jabeur once again took Wimbledon by storm, stringing together wins over four consecutive slam winners -- Andreescu, two-time Wimbledon champ Kvitova, reigning champ Rybakina and AO winner Sabalenka (denying the #1 ranking while erasing a set and 4-3+GP lead in the semis) -- to reach her second straight Wimbledon final, and third in the last five slams.

Unfortunately for her, Jabeur once again came up short, becoming the ninth woman in tour history to start her career 0-3 in slams finals. Of the previous eight, four eventually won major titles. Four never did. Once again, the Tunisian finds herself perched directly on the edge of history.


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5. THE ROSMALEN GROUNDSKEEPER STRIKES AGAIN
...after winning her first career grass crown at the event a year ago with a victory in the final over Aryna Sabalenka, Ekaterina Alexandrova returned and successfully defended her title, becoming just the second woman (Tamarine Tanasugarn 2008-09) to do so in the tournament's long history (this was the 26th edition of the event).

Alexandrova ran her tournament sets-won streak to 18 while reaching the final with victories over Evgeniya Rodina, Kimberly Birrell, Emina Bektas and Aliaksandra Sasnovich, then battled countrywoman Veronika Kudermetova for nearly three hours in the championship match. After being denied on three MP chances (all on Kudermetova's serve), she finally converted on her 4th chance in the deciding TB, ending a 72-minute final set in which neither player dropped her serve.

She'd reach the semis in Berlin a week later, then finally (in her 26th MD) reach a slam Round of 16 for the first time in her career at Wimbledon.

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6. ELINA, ENERGIZED
...nine months after becoming a first-time mom, and fresh off her sentimental Roland Garros QF, Ukrainian wild card Elina Svitolina carried over her momentum to SW19, posing victories over four previous slam champions - V.Williams, Kenin, Azarenka and Swiatek, the latter her 7th career #1 win - and the #28 seed (Mertens) to reach her third career slam semifinal, and first at Wimbledon since 2019.



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7. MADISON AVENUE
...a couple of weeks a year each season, Madison Keys blesses everyone with the opportunity to see her in her very best form. It's usually quite thrilling, even if it does serve to remind you that she *doesn't* play to such a level *all* the time. (Ooh, if she did.)

Eastbourne was the site of one of those weeks. Naturally, though not without a slightly-skittish trip down the final stretch, Keys didn't lose a set and walked off with her seventh career tour title, capturing the same tournament at which she'd won her maiden WTA crown back in 2014.

Down went Tereza Martincova, Wang Xiyu, Petra Martic and Coco Gauff as Keys reached her 12th tour final. She led Dasha Kasatkina 6-2/4-1 before alarm-belling it the rest of the way, losing the 2nd set lead and failing to convert on four MP, while saving four SP, before finally emphatically ending the final 30-plus stroke rally with a winner to claim a 15-13 TB and her first grass title since winning Birmingham in 2016.


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8. TWO FOR THE ROAD
...two seasons after she and Hsieh Su-wei won the 2019 Wimbledon doubles title together, a pregnant Barbora Strycova retired in 2021. She returned this season after becoming a mother to end her career on her own terms. Meanwhile, Hsieh sat out 2022 to recover from injury and, I guess, just do Hsieh Su-wei things? With Strycova still saying she'll retire again by season's end, the two 37-year olds re-teamed at SW19 four years later and produced the same result: they won another Wimbledon title.

The oldest slam-winning duo in Open era history, Strycova's two wins with Hsieh are her only major titles, but this is Hsieh's sixth overall slam, fourth at Wimbledon, and second *straight* after winning in Paris last month with Wang Xinyu. Six events in '23 for Hsieh, and she's won two slams. Not bad.


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9. LATVIAN LAYS DOWN THE LAW
...in Birmingham, Alona Ostapenko experienced the usual sort of ebb-and-flow that accompanies her matches, but never once allowed her streakiness to reach epic proportions. The result: her first grass court title in two years.

After a straight sets win over Linda Noskova, Ostapenko was off and running. She rallied from 2-0, 40/15 down vs. Venus Williams in the 3rd set, took out Magdalena Frech in three sets after being down a set and a break at 4-3, then staged another comeback from a set down vs. Anastasia Potapova to reach her 14th career tour final. There she won a 10-8 TB in a break-free 1st set, then held onto a 5-1 lead in the 2nd. After failing to serve things out at 5-2, Ostapenko completed the task on her second try to win 7-6/6-4 to claim her sixth career singles crown.


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10. A BRITISH BANGER
...before injuries put a stop to it (starting with a spinal stress fracture during Fed Cup play in spring '19, in a tie in which she'd played the "warrioress" role vs. KAZ), Katie Boulter had looked to be a Brit worth watching on the WTA tour. She'd cracked the Top 100 in 2018, and recorded her first slam MD win in Melbourne the following year. But she then missed six of the next eight majors, falling to #365 by the end of 2020.

Boulter slowly worked her way back, winning three MD matches at Wimbledon in 2021-22 and recording two upsets of Karolina Pliskova last grass season (at Eastbourne and Wimbledon). She started strongly in '23, winning the Canberra $60K challenger (where she def. Heather Watson, then Jodie Burrage in the final), her biggest title since 2018.

As the schedule turned back to grass, Boulter reached the $100K Surbiton semis, then carried over that run into tour-level Nottingham, where the Brit had the greatest week of her career. Wins over Emily Appleton, Daria Snigur and Harriet Dart put Boulter into her first WTA semi, then she handled Watson (SF) and Burrage (F) yet again to finish off her maiden tour title run without dropping a set all week. The final vs. Burrage was the first all-Brit WTA title match since 1977, and just the third ever in tour history (it's the first to take place on home soil).

The result lifted Boulter back into the Top 100 for the first time since just shortly after her spinal injury in the spring of '19. After losing in qualifying at the last three slams, Boulter used her MD wild berth to good use with her second straight Wimbledon 3rd Round run.


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Mirra Andreeva (WI) ...after qualifying and reaching the 3rd Round in her slam debut at RG, the 16-year old did it again at Wimbledon and (in slam MD #2) played into the Round of 16 in her maiden SW19 appearance
The Brits (NOTT) ...the home crowd in Nottingham never stopped cheering, as half the QF were filled with Brits. Three reached the semis, the most in a tour event since 1975, and the Katie Boulter/Jodie Burrage match was the first all-GBR WTA singles final since 1977 (third ever), and the first on home soil. Meanwhile, the doubles final featured Brits Harriet Dart & Heather Watson, who'd beaten their countrywomen Alicia Barnett & Olivia Nicholls in the semis to get there.
Clijsters/Hingis (WI Inv.) ...the Hall of Famers won their second straight Wimbledon Invitation Doubles title, going 3-0 in round robin play and then defeating Cara Black and the soon-to-return-to-the-WTA Caroline Wozniacki in the final
Jiske Griffioen (WI WC) ...the 37-year old Dutch veteran, a former wheelchair #1 who retired six years ago before returning to the sport in '19, reached her first slam finals (s+d) since 2017, winning the Wimbledon doubles (career #15, w/ 4 singles slams) w/ de Groot
Storm Hunter (BIRM/WI) ...reached a pair of grass court doubles finals, though she came up short in Birmingham (w/ Alycia Parks) and Wimbledon (w/ Elise Mertens). She also put together a successful SW19 qualifying run in singles (after doing the same at RG).
Krawczyk/Schuurs (EAST) ...the pair tied for the tour lead with their second '23 title run, taking Eastbourne without dropping a set
Barbora Krejcikova (BIRM) ...rebounding from a disappointing clay season, the Czech reached the Birmingham singles and doubles finals, winning the latter alongside Marta Kostyuk. It was just the second time in her last 23 WTA doubles finals that Katerina Siniakova wasn't there with Krejcikova.
Ashlyn Krueger (grass debut) ...the 19-year old Bannerette opened her pro grass career by going 8-3, reaching a QF at Rosmalen and winning her biggest career title at the 125 in Gaiba before falling in Wimbledon qualifying
Celine Naef (NOTT/WI) ...the 17-year old Swiss took a MD wild card at Nottingham and reached the QF in her tour debut, getting her first WTA win in the 1st Round over Venus Williams, then followed up with another over Caty McNally. Having turned 18, Naef then qualified for Wimbledon to reach her maiden slam MD.
Clervie Ngounoue (WI Jr.) ...the Bannerette won her first junior slam singles crown at Wimbledon, becoming the second straight U.S. girls' champ at SW19
Katerina Siniakova (BAD) ...won her first career singles title on the grass in Bad Homburg, completing her "Career Surface Slam" (w/ previous WTA titles on hard and clay courts)
Luisa Stefani (BER) ...the Brazilian claimed her 7th overall doubles title (5 WTA, 1 125, 1 MX slam) since returning from 2021 knee surgery, winning in Berlin alongside Caroline Garcia. Stefani is 7-0 in finals since her return, picking up titles with seven different partners.
The Ukrainians ...the UKR women were everywhere at the AELTC. Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals, and Lesia Tsurenko the Round of 16 (after winning a record 20-18 MTB). Lyudmyla Kichenok claimed her maiden slam title in the Wimbledon MX (w/ Mate Pavic), and Marta Kostyuk opened with a 1st Round upset of #8 Maria Sakkari en route to the 3rd Round. Kostyuk had already won a doubles title w/ Barbora Krejcikova in Birmingham earlier in the grass season.



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*CLASSIC "POJD!" PIC*





*THESE HAVE BEEN THE DAYS OF THEIR LIVES*




*(ACCIDENTAL) SHOT OF THE YEAR NOMINEE*




*ORIGINAL WTA SELFIE*




*GOOD OMENS*



Ulrikke Eikeri & Ingrid Neel went on to win the title.



*NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON VIKA*




*AS FAR AS ACTRESS' FOREHANDS GO...*




*WELL, UNLESS THEY'RE AN ACTUAL TENNIS-PRO-*TURNED*-ACTRESS*




*WORST TROPHIES (Berlin)*


Or are the trophies actually chocolate bars called "Winner" (which would be more than a little bit inspired, actually)?




*BEST TROPHY (Bad Homburg)*




(And the Berlin "trophies" hide their heads in shame... or, you know, melt)



*ATTACK OF THE KILLER GRASS COURTS*




*SEASON #50-something-or-other of "ONLY MARTINAS IN THE BUILDING"*


(streaming where you stream things)




Be sure to catch episode 3: "Martinas...and Kims and Francescas and Robertas"





*BEST CHAIR UMPIRE REACTION TO OSTAPENKO QUESTIONING A LINE CALL*




And the best opponent's reaction to Ostapenko's reactions...





*ONE CHECKS OUT...*




*...ONE CHECKS BACK IN*


The Search for Caro's *Second* Roo" Begins...





*ICONIC VENUS PIC*










1. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko def. Ana Bogdan
...4-6/6-4/7-6(20-18). The Agony of Victory, and the Agony of Defeat.

Between Lesia Tsurenko and Ana Bogdan, only one was assured of a "happy" ending on Day 5 at Wimbledon. In the end, they both paid the same agonizing price, while just one had to come back and play *another* match.

Bogdan seemed on her way to a victory in the 3rd set, serving for the match at 5-3. But she was broken at love. She didn't know what would now be in store for her. With Tsurenko serving for the match at 6-5, Bogdan saved a MP and sent the match to a deciding TB. And what a breaker it'd be.

It would last 37 minutes, the longest in Wimbledon women's history, and extended the match length to 3:40, the second-longest slam match this year (behind 3:51 Haddad Maia/Sorribes Tormo at RG). The 38-point tie-break would be the longest in women's slam history, with both players hunching over or on their knees between points as the two women battled through a series of metronomic baseline rallies, trading off and sharing 11 MP. When it was over, the winner was flat on her back, while the unfortunate "loser" was draped over the net but still on her feet. Sort of. Barely.

Like a 15-round boxing match (with SIX trips to change sides of the net over the course of the fight), the breaker was largely a battle of attrition, with neither woman willing (nor able, really) to break free from her position at the baseline to push the action, but also steadfastly refusing to concede. One long, brutal rally followed another, with both getting multiple chances to end their pain, but failing to do so and then visably seeming to collapse internally in the immediate aftermath as they realized that they now had to DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.

Tsurenko had the first opportunties, first with a conventional super-tiebreak MP (#2 overall) at 9-8. Bogdan fired a winner down the line, only to net a short crosscourt forehand a point later and give the Ukrainian a third MP (10-9). She saved it by utilizing a drop shot that helped her claim the point. At 11-10, Bogdan saved a fourth MP with a put-away backhand, then fired another backhand into the corner behind Tsurenko to get her own MP at 12-11. The Romanian netted a volley.

Tsurenko's fifth MP at 13-12 went away with another Bogdan backhand down the line, while on #6 (14-13) the Ukrainian's deep slice shot elicited an error. The Romanian's wide service winner gave her a second MP at 15-14, but a bad backhand error pushed the play deeper into the afternoon. A forehand error (at 16-15) squandered Bogdan's third MP.

The baseline battle was entrenched by now, and the thought that one player would win was both welcome (since the pain would end), but also just as devastating for the one who'd come up just short after having had so many chances. Nearly every point saw both woman hunched over in preparation for the next, leaning on their knees but then straightening their bodies and finding the energy to make their way back into position once more.

It was just what they were *supposed* to do. So they did it.

After Bogdan's fourth MP (17-16) came and went, the point ended with Tsurenko on her knees and Bogdan stretching her calves in the hopes of avoiding cramps that would make the experience even worse. The Ukrainian's sprayed forehard gave Bogdan a fifth MP (18-17). As she prepared to serve, using as much time as allowed, the Romanian received a code warning for a time violation by a chair umpire who was not giving an inch. Bogdan failed to convert once again, netting a forehand.

Another error off the Romanian's racket handed Tsurenko her seventh MP (sixth in the TB alone), and the end was finally nigh. Bogdan's missed drop shot ended the 38-point affair with the Ukrainian on top 20-18.



After Tsurenko struggled from her back to reach her feet, she found her way to meet Bogdan at the net. The two embraced, forever tennis sisters through shared experience.



Tsurenko's win came with the two combining for 55 winners and 125 UE (Tsurenko 28/60, Bogdan 27/65), 251 points (Tsurenko 129-122) and 12 combined MP (Tsurenko 7, Bogdan 5). With the win, the 34-year old reached her first Wimbledon 4th Round, and second in a row in slam competition this year (RG 4r).

Tsurenko lost that match, but she and Bogdan will always have Court 14.
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2. Birmingham 1st Rd. - Venus Williams def. Camila Giorgi
...7-6(5)/4-6/7-6(6). Proving that ranking (#697) and age (43) don't necessarily mean anything in tennis, Williams posts her first win since January (just the second since Wimbledon '21) and the first over a Top 50 player since 2019 in Beijing (Strycova).

Williams was able to outpace Giorgi even after injuring her knee in the 1st set, and failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the 3rd. Up 5-3 in the deciding TB, Giorgi's defensive (personal survival) block of a huge body serve nearly overturned the match. Rather than Venus holding multiple MP at 6-3, the rebound ball that just barely made it over the net and was just out of reach of a late-reacting Williams made it 5-4. Finally, Venus ended the 3:15 battle on her second MP, winning the breaker 8-6.


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3. Wimbledon SF - Ons Jabeur def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-7(5)/6-4/6-3. Five weeks after Sabalenka collapsed with a big lead in hand in the Roland Garros semis, with the #1 ranking on her racket, she lets another one slip away as Jabeur reaches her second straight Wimbledon final.

The 1st set was characterized by Jabeur's ease when it came to holding serve, and Sabalenka's comparable struggle to do so. Still, neither woman gave up a break (w/ Jabeur facing just a single BP, in the early going in game #2) in the set. Sabalenka managed to hit her way out of danger in game 3, saving a BP before securing the hold with a service winner, and game 5, saving two more BP with big serving in a four-deuce game. After a love hold, Sabalenka again experienced a "novella"-level service experience, mixing in three aces and two DF but getting the hold to stay on serve at 5-4.

With Jabeur already lamenting her lost opportunities, Sabalenka DF'd and put herself a mini-break down at 3-2 in the tie-break. A Jabeur running forehand down the line seemed to send her in the direction of taking the set, as she led 4-2.



But the set would have one final twist, as Jabeur's long backhand reply to Sabalenka's deep return of a second serve stopped her momentum cold. Suddenly, the Belarusian's power took over. Firing off an ace and again forcing a Jabeur error by attacking a second serve, Sabalenka took a 6-4 lead. Jabeur's wide serve and forehand winner saved the first SP, but then Sabalenka got a look on her own serve. A body serve elicited a long return off the Tunisian's racket and Sabalenka won a 7-5 TB to grab a 1st set in which she'd failed to break Jabeur's serve. In the TB, though, she'd seized the opportunity provided when Jabeur missed several first serves, and it'd made all the difference.



The first half of the 2nd set played out much like the 1st. Sabalenka held from 30/30 to knot the set at 2-2. A game later, her deep return short-hopped at the baseline and Jabeur couldn't make a shot off the ball, falling behind love/40. She DF'd and Sabalenka got the break that had eluded her in the opener. A love hold gave her a 4-2 lead.

Jabeur's mission, as pointed and inspiring as it is, seemed to be about to come to an end. Serving at 4-3, 30/30, Sabalenka flashed great defense to keep a rally alive, then raced to a short crosscourt backhand and pushed a passing shot winner down the line to reach GP. The point left Sabalenka elated (though winded), and sent Jabeur flat on her back to the ground in exasperation. How could Ons possibly get out of *this* predicament?



Turned out, she just had to bide her time.

Perhaps *because* of all her running in the rally to reach GP, Sabalenka's game suddenly slipped a notch. An error and DF had her BP down, then a final forehand gave the break back to Jabeur and knotted the score at 4-4.

Ons' mission had renewed life, and a mere five weeks after Sabalenka lost out on a berth in the Roland Garros final after leading Karolina Muchova 5-2 in the 3rd (and holding a MP) in the semis, another of the Belarusian's slam quests was about to self-destruct.

Jabeur had one final attack to deflect, though, before turning things around. Sabalenka took a love/30 lead on the Tunisian's serve in the next game. But with three BP hanging in the balance, a Jabeur shot skidded off the net cord and caught a spot of grass in the corner to keep things close. Sabalenka would get a BP chance, but *just* one. She missed a forehand down the line, and Jabeur got the hold to lead 5-4.

Serving to stay in the set, Sabalenka went up 30/15, but soon a loose backhand shot went wide and she was BP/SP down. This time it was Jabeur who jumped on a second serve, sending a backhand return down the line for a set-ending winner, taking the 2nd at 6-4.



Clearly with the Tennis Gods on her side this time around, Jabeur continued to hold serve through the 3rd, and waited. Finally, in game 6, another long Sabalenka service game provided the chance to surge ahead. In the game, Sabalenka directed the give-and-take (or take-and-give) pattern, going from love/30 down to deuce. Jabeur failed to convert a pair of BP, while Sabalenka hit herself into a pair of GP chances only to squander both with forehand errors. Sabalenka's miss on another forehand into the corner, rather than giving her a third GP, instead handed Jabeur a third BP chance. Jabeur kept the ensuing rally alive, and Sabalenka's (this time) backhand error ended it as the Tunisian took a break lead at 4-2.

There was no looking back from there. Jabeur held at love, as Sabalenka merely tried to hold on. She saved two MP in game 8, getting the hold for 5-3. Serving for her third slam final in twelve months, Jabeur's hard down the line shot bounded (out) from Sabalenka's racket strings and gave her a 40/love lead. A third MP came and went with a net cord, and the fourth with a wide Jabeur backhand. On #5, Jabeur stamped her ticket back to the Wimbledon final all by herself. Ace.

The win was Jabeur's fourth straight at Wimbledon over a previous slam champ. In three of them, she dropped the opening set. After the match, commenting on both her improved game and personal outlook as she's climbed the tennis ladder, Jabeur thought about her journey and said, "Maybe the old me would have lost the match today." But not this one.



The loss puts Sabalenka's quest for the #1 ranking on hold for at least a few weeks or months, as she falls to 1-5 in career slam semifinals. Jabeur, on the other hand, improves to 3-0 at that stage, but would remain one step away from completing *her* mission with her third slam final loss (to Marketa Vondrousova) two days later.
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4. Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - Ons Jabeur def. Bianca Andreescu
...3-6/6-3/6-4. With the Centre Court roof opened because no more rain was expected on the day (hahaha), it was Andreescu who looked like a grass court queen. Bouncing on her toes and raring to go on every point, Andreescu not only outplayed Jabeur, she beat her at her own game as she employed the sort of spins and drop shot variety that the Tunisian uses so adeptly to frustrate her own opponents.

Andreescu grabbed a 3-1 lead with a break of serve, then held at love, closing with an ace, to go up 4-1. Serving at 5-3, the Canadian's forehand slice (sorta-)dropper -- just call it "a Jabeur" -- hit the grass and hopelessly spun out of reach of the Tunisian to give Andreescu a 40/love lead. A forehand corner shot was too much for Jabeur to get back, and Andreescu claimed the set at 6-3.



Of course, with even most of Andreescu's recent wins coming in three-set matches, one expected the momentum would soon change.

The moment came mid-way through the set, after Andreescu had seen a call not go her way. She'd initially challenged the "out" call, but Jabeur waved her off, telling her that it wasn't that close. Andreescu rescinded her challenge, not knowing that replay actually showed that she'd have won the point had she not listened to her opponent and maintained her challenge. Whether the moment had any true impact or not, on the scoreboard or otherwise, the momentum *did* change soon after. On her first BP of the day, Jabeur converted to go up 3-2. She ran her lead to 5-2. Serving to stay in the set, Andreescu went up 40/love. After being forced to three deuces, she got the hold, only to see Jabeur then hold at love to knot the match.

As the 3rd set began, Andreescu seemed to have rediscovered her form. She took a love/40 lead on Jabeur's serve at 2-1. On her third BP chance, Andreescu saw a Jabeur shot sail long and give her a 3-1 lead once again. But in perhaps *the* key moment of the match, Andreescu couldn't consolidate the break. With the skies suddenly darkening, literally as well as figuratively, the Canadian dropped serve. Back on equal ground, it was as if Jabeur looked to the sky and, with a wink, snapped her fingers and let loose with a downpour.

The unexpected early evening drenching made Jabeur's break even more important, as she and Andreescu went into the lockerroom in very different mindsets about what had just happened and what *needed* to happen next in order to get the win. Having consulted with her coach/husband Issam Jellali during the 50-minute break, the opening minutes when play resumed would set the tone.

Jabeur nearly crashed out, but walked a tricky tightrope with the skill of a Wallenda. In the opening game, she gutted out a hold after taking a 30/love lead and throwing in enough errors to soon be BP down. She saved it, but then DF'd and gave Andreescu another. Jabeur hit a service winner, then followed up with an ace to reach GP. Her nail-biting hold tied the set at 3-3, though by the next game she'd burned through her allotted challenges for the entire set as Andreescu held for 4-3.

But, at 4-4, after Jabeur had held firm in a key stretch, Andreescu chose the wrong time to play her worst tennis of the day. With a frightening UE/DF combination, the Canadian suddenly found herself down love/40. She was broken at love, and Jabeur sat down during the changeover in a very different mental/situational place than she would have been if *any* of the key moments since the instant she fell behind 3-1 had gone a way other than the way they did.

Serving for the match, Jabeur fell behind 15/30. But, after coming this far, she wasn't going to stumble at the finish line. After getting the score to 30-all, Jabeur saw Andreescu spray a forehand to give the Tunisian a MP. Having traversed a complicated 3rd set road, Jabeur then took the easy route home. She fired an ace up the T, ending the match and heading to the Wimbledon Round of 16 for a third straight time (and final for a second consecutive year).


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5. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Venus Williams
...3-6/7-5/6-3. Just when you thought she was (likely) at her limit, Venus very nearly pulled off an even bigger win in Birmingham. Williams saved a MP at 5-3 in the 2nd, and even took an early 2-0 lead in the 3rd.



If she'd been able to convert for a 3-0 edge after being up 40/15, who knows if Ostapenko would have been able to right the ship in time. Ostapenko went on to claim the title, while Venus lost in the 1st Round at Wimbledon to eventual semifinalist Elina Svitolina.


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6. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Caroline Garcia def. Leylah Fernandez
...3-6, 6-4, 7-6(10-6). While Emma Raducanu has had her own set of issues in the aftermath of the '21 U.S. Open, her fellow finalist at that event, Leylah Fernandez, has been trying to put together a proper run at a slam ever since.

The Canadian looked as if she might break through that barriers here, getting her first Top 10 win since that Flushing Meadows run, but then #5 Garcia stepped in and tapped her on the shoulder.

From early in the 2nd set forward, their 2nd Round match held to a regular pattern. Literally. As the 3rd set headed to a finishing 10-point TB, there'd been just one break of serve in the previous 22 games. Fernandez had nine straight holds, while Garcia had ten.

In the TB, it was the Pastry who upped her aggression and took command, running out to a 6-3 lead. With Fernandez trying to hold on, she seemed to pull within 7-5 after challenging her first of two serves (unreturned by Garcia, and called out) and seeing the replay show the ball had touched a line. But she hadn't been given an ace (as Fernandez thought), and instead had to re-serve the point. She lost it, and Garcia took an 8-4 lead. It was too much to overcome.

Garcia carried the edge to the finish, winning 10-6, reaching the 3rd Round for the fourth time in the last five slams. She hadn't done so in the previous six.


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7. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Liudmila Samsonova def. Lena Papadakis
...7-5/6-7(5)/7-6(3). The 24-year old German qualifier (#348) pushes the '21 Berlin (grass) champ to the limit in her first WTA MD match in six years (Nurnberg '17, when she was Lena Rueffer), leading the Hordette 5-3 in the 3rd and serving at 5-4 (she was broken at love). Samsonova finally won in 3:40 via a deciding tie-break.


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8. Rosmalen Final - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Veronika Kudermetova
...4-6/6-4/7-6(3). Alexandrova followed up her SF win over V.Kudermetova a year ago with one in an almost three-hour final (the 32nd all-RUS final in tour history).

In the 1:12 final set, neither she nor Kudermetova dropped serve and Kudermetova staved off three MP on her own serve (one after stopping mid-rally to challenge an Alexandrova baseline call). In the deciding TB, Kudermetova's challenge of an Alexandrova ace *didn't* go her way, though, handing the defending champ her fourth MP chance at 6-3. She didn't need a fifth.


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9. Eastbourne Final - Madison Keys def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-2/7-6(13). Keys' dominant side flashed early, as she built a 6-2/4-1 lead before nearly succumbing to the sort of skid that has always kept a rein on her overall results. Kasatkina denied a MP and actually led the 2nd 6-5 before Keys pushed the set into a TB.

She led there 4-1, as well, and held two MP (only to commit two UE), as the momentum swung back and force. Kasatkina held two SP of her own, only to see errors throw them away. She failed to convert two more SP, then another Keys UE squandered MP #4.

Finally, on MP #5, a Keys forehand winner ended a 31-shot rally as she won the 15-13 TB and picked up her seventh career title nine years, and on the same court, where she'd won her first back in 2014.


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10. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Madison Brengle
...6-7(4)/7-6(5)/7-6(10-6). After dropping a 1st set TB, Alexandrova had won another to end the 2nd and force a 3rd set. There, Alexandrova held three MP at 5-4 on Brengle's serve, but couldn't put the win away. Brengle then broke and led 6-5, 30/30, only to lose the next five points as Alexandrova forced a third TB and took a 3-0 lead.

It made this the first women's match at Wimbledon in the Open era to include three TB.

Alexandrova led 5-1 (having won 7 of 8 points), and reached MP #4 at 9-6. She DF'd, but a return error from Brengle finally awarded Alexandrova the TB on her fifth MP, ending the 2:49 struggle.


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*U.K. FOR A DAY*

Nottingham SF - Jodie Burrage def. Alize Cornet 7-5/7-5
Nottingham SF - Katie Boulter def. Heather Watson 6-4/7-5
...for the first time in 48 years, three British women played in the semis of a tour-level events (there were four in the QF). At the 1975 French Indoors event in Paris in November, Virginia Wade defeated Sue Barker in the final, while Glynis Coles had also reached the semis.



A special nod to the WTA tour social media member who typed "an historic" rather than "a historic." It's greatly appreciated.




*BRIT (BATTLE IN A) BOX*

Nottingham Final - Katie Boulter def. Jodie Burrage
...6-3/6-3. Boulter claims her maiden tour title in the first all-GBR WTA final since 1977, and just the third ever. Both the other two involved Virginia Wade and Sue Barker.

It's the first WTA singles crown won by a British woman since Emma Raducanu's U.S. Open run in 2021.




*THE MATCH THAT ALMOST WAS*

Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Jule Niemeier def. Karolina Muchova
...6-4/5-7/6-1. There's good luck, bad luck, and Muchova luck (aka not much luck at all).



The 1st Round match-up between former SW19 quarterfinalists #16 Muchova and Niemeier was always going to be an intriguing affair. That it took until Day 4 to happen turned out to be the least of it.

Already with an injury-riddled career, Muchova had managed to largely "beat the house" (but not Iga) in Paris this year, staying one step ahead of the reaper, staging a comeback from 5-2 down in the 3rd against Aryna Sabalenka in her second career slam semi and reaching her maiden final. She lost to Iga Swiatek in three sets, dropping her first career match vs. a Top 3 player. She'd been 5-0, including 4-0 in slams. But Muchova came to London with no grass court matches under her belt, having spent much of the time recovering from a viral illness she'd played through in Paris (the same one that drove Elena Rybakina from the RG draw).

Niemeier has struggled to find her form in '23, falling outside the Top 100 without any Wimbledon QF points to keep her ranking afloat. But she'd seen a slight uptick in her results on grass. In Berlin, she defeated defending champ (and '22-23 WI finalist) Ons Jabeur, but slipped in the backcourt while in the process of trying to force a 3rd set vs. Marketa Vondrousova (soon-to-be '23 WI champ) a round later, falling on her wrist and retiring from the match. While Niemeier's 3-2 grass mark this summer wasn't spectacular, it was far batter than the 5-16 record she'd put up on other surfaces this year.

Through much of this match, Muchova resembled a player who hadn't played in almost a month, while Niemeier looked like one coming home and starting to feel good again. So, even before what would ultimately happen in the latter stages of the match, the German was keeping pace and actually outplaying the Czech. Still, as Muchova gradually found her footing, she pushed things to a 3rd set and was very much still in contention in the early going in the decider.

Muchova had to fight throughout on serve, holding in a long 8th game in the 1st while rallying from love/40 and saving four BP to tie the score at 4-4. Two games later she again had to dig out of a love/40 hole, reaching GP, but Niemeier converted on her 7th SP of the game when Muchova netted the back end of a serve-and-volley combo. Niemeier took the set 6-4.

Muchova took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd, but couldn't take advantage of an opening to go up double-break in game 7. Niemeier held for 4-3. A game later, Muchova saved a BP and held in a game that included a display of her full arsenal, as she won points with slices, a lob, a forehand winner and then closed the game with an ace to lead 5-3. But she couldn't serve out the set two games later. After Niemeier dropped serve, as well, Muchova got another shot at 6-5. She took a 40/love lead, and on her 5th SP finally tied the match with a 7-5 win.

Niemeier broke to go up 2-0 in the 3rd, but then fate once again grabbed Muchova in a bear hug that prevented much hope for a comeback. Slipping in the backcourt, the Czech went down and that old feeling of impending doom was hovering over her shoulder again.



Already with the prospect of playing multiple back-to-back days in a slam on the agenda, and with rainy weather likely doing the surface no favors, Muchova was having her hip looked at and going off court for an MTO while staring into the face of a break deficit in the final set.

Muchova re-emerged with a heavily-strapped leg and tentative gait. She had a BP on Niemeier's serve in game 3, but the German held for 3-0. Muchova held to get on the board, but was more and more affected as the set wore on. An awkward DF put her down 5-1. The Czech played out the string, saving herself the acrimony from online bettors should she have retired (so at least there's that, right?), but had very little to give. Niemeier accepted the opportunity, winning 6-1 and picking up a very much-needed win.



One of these days, maybe Muchova will finally see the clouds fully open and the sun shine on her and only her. Hey, it's happened to at least one hard-luck Czech in the not *that* too distance past (i.e. in her lifetime). At this very tournament, in fact.

But until that day, Muchova waits, biding her time and hoping for better weather.


*CAN OF WORMS: WIMBLEDON EDITION*

Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Victoria Azarenka
...2-6/6-4/7-6(11-9). In a clash of moms from nations currently... nah, why mention *that* -- because it surely won't come into play in some ugly way or anything, right? -- the two former Wimbledon semifinalists fought tooth and nail until the bitter end.

After Azarenka, sporting a 5-0 edge in their head-to-head, took the 1st set and led 6-2/2-0, Svitolina surged back into the contest. Late in the 2nd, Azarenka staved off four BP and held in a five-deuce game to level the score at 4-4. Two games later, though, she couldn't secure one of a pair of GP in another long (three-deuce) game. Svitolina only needed one break chance this time, converting it to send things to a 3rd.

It was Svitolina who led 2-0 this time, but Azarenka got the set back on serve mid-way through at 3-3 and, once again, a women's match went to a deciding match tie-break. It wasn't a 20-18 marathon, but it was yet another dramatic, momentum-shifting affair.

Svitolina held the early mini-break lead at 2-1, but a series of errors helped hand Azarenka a 4-2 edge. But Vika's failed drop shot attempt gave her own mini-break lead away, and an unforced error made it 4-4. Two Svitolina errors followed, and her inability to dig out a deep court shot with her backhand saw Azarenka surge into the lead again at 7-4.

Svitolina won the next three points, then re-took the lead with a backhand passing shot, going up 8-7. Another poor Azarenka drop shot attempt ended a nice rally and put Svitolina at MP at 9-8. After Azarenka painted a line, then saw Svitolina chase down a swing volley ball, Vika adeptly put away a potentially-nervy overhead to keep the breaker alive. Svitolina then successfully employed her own drop shot, which Azarenka got to but sailed her ball long, giving Svitolina a second MP at 10-9.

Svitolina secured the win with an ace, following up countrywoman Tsurenko's MTB win a day earlier with one of her own, advancing to her second straight slam QF (first at SW19 since '19). Then the two moms/competitors met and... no, wait, that didn't happen. Hey, what happened to the "dueling moms" plotline we were being sold prior to the match?



After Svitolina pulled herself off the ground, she approached the net. Azarenka had gotten there before her and shook the chair umpire's hand then, not stupid and knowing the deal, looked back at Svitolina and offered a conciliatory wave. Viewed from behind on camera, Zapruder film-like inspection showed that Svitolina nodded back.

Then, as has so often been the case this slam season, from the press room to the stands, casual stupidity reigned supreme as the crowd booed *Azarenka* as she left court, apparently because she hadn't waited at the net to shake hands with a player who wouldn't have shaken her hand (after another Belarusian had been criticized at RG, by and also vs. Svitolina, *for* waiting at the net).

Needless to say, Vika was a bit taken aback, and shook her head, raised her arms and banged her wrists together as she disappeared from view.


*SO CLOSE, and yet so very far*

French Riviera Open QF - Diede de Groot def. Kgothatso Montjane
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-2. The closest anyone came to defeating de Groot during the grass season (and, really, maybe in the past two-and-a-half seasons, excluding perhaps this year's AO final vs. Kamiji) came on *clay* just after Roland Garros.

In France, Montjane took the 1st set (ending de Groot's 42-set run) and nearly avoided a 3rd before de Groot won a 7-5 TB. Yui Kamiji took a love set from de Groot (serving horrifically) in the AO final, but won just four games in the 2nd and 3rd sets that day.

As Wimbledon ended, de Groot's winning streak had reached 111 matches.





1. Wimbledon QF - Marketa Vondrousova def. Jessie Pegula
...6-4/2-6/6-4. Trying to outrun a winless (0-5) record in slam QF, Pegula put herself into position to achieve the grass court goal she'd set out for herself when she'd said that she felt that the grass might finally be good to her this year after progressively (1r-2r-3r) improving her SW19 results in recent trips to the All-England Club.

What happened though was a case of Pegula walking herself to the edge of achieving that goal, but being unable to step over the threshold.

In the 3rd, Pegula came out strong. She saved two BP in the opening game, and got the hold as Vondrousova's forehand breakdowns squandered her chances. The Bannerette broke for a 3-1 lead, only to see play stopped and the roof closed in the latest episode of match/weather mismanagement by the AELTC. But when the players returned, Pegula didn't lose her momentum. She held for 4-1, and even held a BP (30/40) on Vondrousova's serve a game later for a commanding 5-1 lead. But she missed on a routine backhand, sending it long.

Suddenly, everything was soon in play once again. Serving at 4-2, Pegula fell down 15/40, dropping the game as the set went back on serve. At 4-4, after holding multiple GP, she overshot a forehand on a Vondrousova BP and was suddenly down 5-4.

Serving for her first slam semi since her '19 final run in Paris, Vondrousova quickly went up 40/love. On her second MP, a put-away at the net collected her fifth straight game, sending yet another Czech lefty into the SW19 final (and, ultimately, her maiden title) while Pegula fell to 0-6 in career QF.


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2. Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Belinda Bencic
...6-7(4)/7-6(2)/6-3. Make no mistake, Bencic pushed Swiatek's back against the wall here, resulting in the Pole getting that familiar (almost) panicked look on her face as she loses control of a match narrative and seemingly tries *too* hard to turn things around in an instant, resulting in uncharacteristic errors that either put her in deeper trouble (if the opponent can take advantage) or are the leading edge of Swiatek fighting back to "even" the match and then letting her (usual) edge in big-stage experience take over down the stretch.

In Bencic's case, it was a little bit of both.

The two engaged in a tight 1st set, with Swiatek leading 5-4 and taking a 15/40 edge on Bencic's serve in game 10. Bencic saved both SP, wiping away the second chance with a drop shot and backhand down the line. The Swiss held for 5-5, then did the same from 30/30 two games later to force a tie-break.

There, Bencic's challenge seemed to fluster Swiatek. She took a 4-0 lead, then 6-1. At 6-3, with her first SP on serve, Bencic finally put away a 7-4 win when Iga's return shot went long. Swiatek hadn't faced a BP the entire set, while going 0-for-6 on Bencic's serve as the Swiss extended her consecutive holds streak to 23.

Between sets, Swiatek took the opportunity for an off-court bathroom break, taking along her trusty notebook of match notes to glance at while she was away.

Whatever knowledge the notebook imparted, it seemed to inspire her. Iga ended Bencic's holds streak in game 1, putting away a BP with a return winner. But Bencic didn't relent, she got the set back on serve at 3-3 then, at 6-5, a forehand winner into the corner was followed by a loose Swiatek error and the Swiss found herself at double MP at 15/40.

Swiatek saved the first MP with a deep shot that handcuffed Bencic, then put away a crosscourt backhand on MP #2. She got the hold and the match went to another TB. There, the server lost the first five points before Swiatek was the first to hold. She took that tiny bit of momentum and held it, racing to a 6-2 lead. Bencic's double fault knotted the match.

At this point, with Bencic having squandered not one but two chances to put out the world #1, the advantage shifted to a tremendous degree toward Swiatek.

Bencic would get *one* more shot, holding a BP on Iga's serve in game 3 of the 3rd, but she couldn't convert it, either. Swiatek held for 2-1, and the Swiss had fully lost the line of the conversation. The Questioning Iga had been replaced, if not in full body form by Frontrunner Iga, then surely Race Leader Iga had stepped in. Bencic DF'd on another BP in game 5, falling behind 4-1.

Serving for her maiden Wimbledon QF at 5-3, Swiatek fell behind love/30. At 15/30, a Bencic forehand was called long. She wished to challenge the call, but had exhausted all of her replay challenges for the set. Naturally, the ball had caught a line. But it didn't matter, and it was now 30/30. Swiatek's forehand down the line gave her her first MP, then a cross court forehand ended things.


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3. Wimbledon 4th Rd. - Madison Keys def. Mirra Andreeva
...3-6/7-6(4)/6-2. This match turned out to be a rare combination of a contest that proved that the hype around 16-year old qualifier Andreeva is indeed legit while also showing that the "16" next to her name is both an eyebrow-raiser *and* a detriment that she'll have to grow out of in order to reach her full potential. Meanwhile, the frustrating side of Keys' game nearly saw her run out of the tournament in an almost shockingly conventional way, only to see an eleventh hour tactical change highlight the idea that maybe, after all these years, she's actually learned that sometimes one has to find *another* way when Plan A systematically blows up in your face.

For the majority of the match, it was Andreeva who was in complete control. After Keys took a quick 2-0 lead on Court 2, the teenager settled into her game with what has quickly become her usual smart point construction, accurate shotmaking and a willingness to flip an offensive switch after working her opponent into a negative position with her good defense.

Using body serves to diffuse Keys' early-rally power, while Keys' own serve percentage remained low and her error totals too high, Andreeva ended Keys' two-tournament, 16-set winning streak by taking six of the final seven games of the 1st. She then carried over her command to the 2nd, taking a 3-0 lead (saving a BP in game 3). The Hordette raced to a short ball and placed a forehand winner into the corner to lead 4-1, then reached BP a game later. Andreeva was making things look far easier than they should be and, dare one say it, even "routine" against one of this summer's hottest grass court players.

But then, belatedly (almost *too* late), Keys made a few changes. Not particularly known for having a "Plan B" (she usually simply goes glub-glub and down with the error-strewn ship), this time she found one. Rather than pull her usual switch of going from looking better than almost anyone out there to almost looking like she doesn't belong at all, Keys pulled a mid-match reverse on that time-worn concept.

After trying and failing to win a baseline battle with an accurate baseliner for nearly two full sets, Keys began to move into the court, and even made a habit of closing in to the net. The change seemed to rattle Andreeva, who'd been coasting to her maiden slam QF, and she never really regained her game or, on some level, composure.

A big Keys return opened game 7 with a declaration of her intent, leading directly to her break to close to 4-3. On BP, Keys improvised and switched racket hands on a short ball, getting off a *lefty* forehand crosscourt winner.



Andreeva had weathered a brief momentum turn against her in her 3rd Round win over Anastasia Potapova to win in straights. In game 9 here, the teenager settled her sudden batch of unforced errors, holding for 5-4 with the help of three straight UE off Keys' racket. The set went to a TB, where Keys got off to a 3-0 lead. A big Andreeva return up the middle got the breaker back on serve at 3-4, but Keys turned it back in her favor by following a forehand to the net and putting away a volley to lead 5-4. She took the TB by a 7-4 score, and a frustrated Andreeva chucked her racket into the changeover area from long distance (a move that would play a part in the match's closing moments).

Andreeva held a BP in game 1 of the 3rd but Keys, serving better and better as the match wore on, saved it with a blast up the T and got the hold. An Andreeva double-fault on BP down a game later gave Keys another 2-0 lead. Unlike in the 1st, though, Keys rolled on from the early edge as Andreeva couldn't recapture her previous magic.

Up 4-2, Keys saved a BP and held. A game later, down 5-2 and serving at 30/30, Andreeva slid into the doubles alley and caught her foot in the grass, knocking her off-balance. She seemed to catch herself, but still swung her arm over and released her racket, causing it to slam down and bounce off the court surface. Whether the slide, trip and slam were all in "one motion," or the slam was an emphatic "extra" move was a matter of opinion, but after having issued a warning after the racket chuck to end the 2nd, the chair umpire followed up with a point penalty against Andreeva, giving Keys a MP.

Andreeva argued that she slipped and dropped the racket (which was true, sorta), but the chair umpire was having none of it. Likely, Andreeva's frustrated reaction afterward sealed the umpire's decision, as it made it *appear* that the slam was out of anger, even it it probably wasn't.

After Andreeva's MP serve was called in, Keys challenged the call (it was long) and got another clean look at a MP ball. She'd end the point, naturally, at the net (she uncharacteristically ended up converting 25/43 net points on the day), winning her ninth straight grass match to reach her ninth slam QF and first at SW19 since 2015.


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4. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Donna Vekic def. Sloane Stephens
...4-6/7-5/6-4. On Court 1, Donna Vekic stepped up. And, well, Sloane Stephens stepped back right as it seemed as if she was about to step up.



Down 6-4/3-0, Vekic faced two BP to fall behind 4-0. Vekic had tears in her eyes, but Stephens couldn't convert. Still, the Bannerette led 5-2, and served for the match at 5-3. Tied at 30/30, two points from the win, Stephens -- as we've seen quite often over the years -- blinked, pulling back when she needed to move forward. Her forehand seemed to go backward alongside her mindset. She'd lose the next eight points, and 11 of 12, as Vekic went from a point from being MP down to serving for the set at 6-5. She held in a two-deuce game and sent things to a 3rd set.

Again, after holding to open the set, Stephens had opportunity placed right in front of her, holding 40/love leads in the 2nd and 3rd games. She lost them both, and Vekic went out to a 3-1 lead. Serving for the match at 5-4, Vekic saw Stephens (finally) pull out and fire her last salvo, blasting a return winner on the opening point. She'd ultimately hold a BP, but Vekic again prevailed, winning in the most dramatic match during what were the very discombobulated (and wet) first four days of this Wimbledon.


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5. Berlin Final - Caroline Garcia/Luisa Stefani def. Katerina Siniakova/Marketa Vondrousova
...4-6/7-6(8) [10-4]. While one half of the world's #1 doubles duo -- Barbora Krejickova, with Marta Kostyuk -- won a title in Birmingham on the same day, the other half -- Siniakova (w/ fellow Czech Vondrousova) -- held 3 MP in a match-up in Berlin. Only Krejcikova went home with the big hardware.

Well, even if Siniakova had won, she wouldn't have gone home with "big hardware," considering how awful the Berlin trophies were, but you get the idea.
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6. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Cristina Bucsa def. Kamilla Rakhimova
...6-3/4-6/7-6(11-9). It didn't take long for a big comeback to occur on Day 1 of Wimbledon, as Bucsa rallied from 9-5 down in the 3rd set TB vs. Rakhimova, saving four MP and sweeping the final six to win 11-9.


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7. Wimbledon 2nd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu def. Anhelina Kalinina
...6-2/4-5/7-6(10-6). Sometimes Andreescu seems preternaturally incapable of getting off the court in two sets unless it's in a loss. Against #26-seeded Kalinina, she led 6-2/4-2, only to then drop four straight games and head to a 3rd. Because of course she did.

In this case, it looked as if it'd be to her detriment, too, as she fell behind the Ukrainian 5-2. But with Kalinina serving for the win at 5-3, Andreescu got the break and ultimately sent things to a match TB. With Kalinina struggling a bit physically, the Canadian took an 8-2 lead. A huge deep return -- seemingly hit with all she had -- produced an error from Kalinina and gave Andreescu a handulf of MP at 9-2. She'd need nearly all of them.

It took a while, including a three-volley point that she lost on her second MP, but Andreescu finally claimed the match on her fifth try, winning 10-6 with a Kalinina forehand error. With the win, she reached her first career Wimbledon 3rd Round, where she led Ons Jabeur 3-1 in the 3rd, only to be caught as passed by the eventual finalist.


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8. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Rebecca Marino def. Emina Bektas
...6-4/4-6/7-6(1). Marino fires 21 aces (a tour-best in '23, but just her *second* best career total, as she has 24 vs. Garcia last year in Guadalajara), recovering from 3-1 and 5-3 deficits in the 3rd. Bektas served up 5-4, 40/love before Marino saved triple MP -- on one, a seeming ace from Bektas was ruled a let, while another was saved via a net cord -- and won 15 of the final 18 points in the last three games.
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9. Birmingham 2nd Rd. - Anastasia Potapova def. Caty McNally
...3-6/6-2/7-6(0). Another late-match collapse from McNally (but at least it didn't come in the latter stages of a tournament this time). After rallying from 3-1 back to win the 1st, McNally led Potapova 5-2 in the 3rd and served a 5-3. After dropping serve, she ultimately fell in a love tie-break.


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10. Wimbledon 1st Rd. - Rebeka Masarova def. Mayar Sherif
...7-5/3-6/7-6(10-6). Though she came into slam at a career high #66 and off an impressive week in Bad Homburg in which she looked very good in posting wins over Sasnovich and Andreescu, and then jumping ahead of Emma Navarro, Masarova's Wimbledon prospects didn't look particularly good. Not after she'd injured her knee and been forced to retire from that QF vs. Navarro.

But the Spaniard added another highlight to what has already been a career year in which she reached her maiden tour final in Auckland, defeating the likes of Stephens, Blinkova and Muchova to get there. Facing off with #31 Sherif (the Egyptian is the first from her nation to be seeded at a slam), Masarova rallied form 4-2 down in the 3rd to post just her second career slam MD victory (w/ '21 US).
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*ADDING INSULT TO INJURY*









1. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Celine Naef def. Venus Williams
...3-6/7-6(3)/6-2. The difference in experience could hardly have been more stark, as Williams has played in far more seasons on tour (30) than years Naef has been alive. Almost *twice* as many. In her tour debut, the Swiss put down a truly memorable result.

In a match-up of players separated by 25 years (Venus 42, Naef 17) and 494 rankings spots (#202 Naef was actually the higher-ranked, not #696 Venus), Williams swept the final 12 points of the set to take the 1st, but pushing Williams -- in her first action since Auckland -- to three was the Swiss teen's best path to victory. Williams held an early break lead in the 2nd, but Naef got things into a 3rd and ended up being the fourth #200+ ranked player to ever defeat the future Hall of Famer.


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2. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Daria Snigur def. Beatriz Haddad Maia
...6-4/6-3. Lucky loser Snigur (#157) once again shows a penchant for the big upset. Last summer, it was vs. Simona Halep in the 1st Round of the U.S. Open (things only got worse for the Romanian after that), and this time it was Nottingham DC Haddad Maia, hot off her Roland Garros semifinal run.



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3. Wimbledon Jr. SF - Nikola Bartunkova def. Alina Korneeva
...6-4/7-6(2). Bartunkova's upset of #1 Korneeva ends the Hordette's attempt at a Grand Slam season, but only after the best start (16-0, and AO & RG title runs) in junior slam season history. She could still become only the third girl -- after Natasha Zvereva in 1987, and Magdalena Maleeva in 1990 -- to win *three* slams in a single season should she win at Flushing Meadows.
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4. Berlin 1st Rd. - Elina Avanesyan def. Dasha Kasatkina
...6-2/3-6/7-6(7). At it again, LL Avanesyan, off her Round of 16 run as a lucky loser at Roland Garros, not only overcomes a loss in qualifying (again), but she rallied from 5-2 down in the 3rd vs. Kasatkina, who served at 5-3. Down 6-4 in the TB, Avanesyan saved a pair of MP and won 9-7.



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5. Gaiba 125 Final - Ashlyn Krueger def. Tatjana Maria
...3-6/6-4/7-5. On Italian grass court, Krueger's biggest career title comes after trailing the veteran German 5-2 in the 3rd. Maria served at 5-3 and got as close as deuce to lifting her first 125 crown to go along with three at tour level (including this year in Bogota), but the teenager ultimately broke serve on her 4th BP of game 11 and then served out the 7-5 final set to take the crown.



Maria, a '22 Wimbledon semifinalist, never recovered this grass season. She followed up with 1st Round losses in Bad Homburg (vs. Swiatek) and SW19 (vs. Cirstea), and even fell in her opening match on clay (at Contrexeville 125) during the second week of Wimbledon.
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HM- Rosmalen 2nd Rd. - Celine Naef def. Caty McNally
...3-6/6-4/6-3. After her win over Venus Williams, Naef rallied from 3-0 down in the 3rd, sweeping the final six games to reach her maiden tour QF in her first career tournament appearance.


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kosova-font


Ummm...





posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:48 PM 

5 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

oh! the drama that happened in the Zhang/Toth match in Budapest! The umpire in that match should be penalized. This match is a proof that we need automatic line callings on both tours. Toth needs to get herself into top 100 in the rankings to make things more spicy on the tour.

Good to see that Stollar has won couple of matches in her home tournament. Back in 2017, when she first came on the tour, I was really impressed by her. I thought she would be a regular stay on the tour.

Thu Jul 20, 04:43:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

I had seen the Badosa thing before. Still embarrassing.

Naef is all over your list; is also replacement for Bencic at Hopman Cup.

When the villain actually isn't one:

I decided to take a look at Toth/Zhang. One reason was to evaluate Toth's game, the other was to see the incident.

Zhang came into this on a 12 match losing streak, and did not play anywhere close to her best. Got up 2-0, with little drama, but was unhappy over a minor line call.

The drama starts at 3-3, when Zhang played a point off the baseline that looked in. She lost the point, then argued the call.

Toth, now leading at 4-3, stopped play when Zhang hit a ball out that was not called. Toth correctly got point. Zhang was angry, and played her best 2 games of the match to go up 5-4.

At 5-5 15-15, all hell broke loose. Zhang hit a ball that looked in, but was called out. To this point, Zhang was wrong on the other 3 calls, so she thought she was wronged on a fourth and started screaming at the umpire, the crowd, then asked for a supervisor. A random from the crowd yelled "time violation", which she should have gotten, but did not. After the supervisor comes out, they talk, and eventually play resumes.

Zhang then plays a point. After that point is when Toth erases the mark, which causes Zhang to complain loudly again and gesture to the crowd. She hits the net with her racket. She gets broken to go down 5-6, calls out the trainer, and retires within 2 minutes. She then Shakes the umpire's hand, then Toth's, which is when both arms are victoriously raised.

Zhang then yells some more toward the crowd before walking off.

Now that the drama is done as Toth lost to Baindl, let's talk about her game. Probably could get to 200, moves well and slides well on clay, hits hard, uses drop shots effectively.

Truth be told, she was leading because of Zhang's errors.

Thu Jul 20, 12:07:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

K-

Once again, I think I need to pull out the old "The Most Interesting Tour in the World" theme for WTAB. It's more than lived up to that in '23.


C-

Thanks for all the match details from the Zhang/Toth match (if it's all right, I'll use that on this week's post... as no one has bothered to note hardly any of that in all the commotion).

I think a whole lot of WTA players (while nicely supporting Zhang) and media members (Wertheim) embarrassed themselves with their reactions to all this, most of if coming while having only a faint knowledge -- and most of it wrong -- about what actually happened. Of course that didn't stop them from attacking a fellow player they don't know at all like online trolls.

And now Toth has had to issue an "apology" video.

Ridiculous.

Thu Jul 20, 07:35:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Todd, go for it.

US Open list is out and Halep is on it. Rogers is not. Baindl is last in, Brady, Strycova, Saville, Tig and Krunic using SR.

Fri Jul 21, 07:36:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Yeah, it seems like something "changed" w/ Simona since she was put on that list after having not been on it. Maybe an announcement soon?

If she gets back so soon after her hearing, she really should entertain a lawsuit for potential earnings lost while she waited, what, seven months to present her case? And it was at a U.S.-based event, so maybe it could be filed here? It's the only way this sort of thing is going to be curtailed.

I see that now M.Ymer is having to take his turn on the chute with an 18-month suspension after not even testing positive for anything.

Fri Jul 21, 01:59:00 PM EDT  

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