Sunday, July 16, 2023

Cheerio, SW19





Another grass season is in the books...




1. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE ...Vondrousova came into the grass season having never won back-to-back matches on the surface, and was just 1-4 at Wimbledon. She won two matches in Berlin, then proceeded to knock off five seeded players at Wimbledon, plus a previous semifinalist. She rallied from 4-1 and BP down in the 3rd vs. Pegula in the QF, then outplayed Svitolina (SF) and '22 finalist Jabeur (F) to become a maiden slam champ, the third Czech woman (plus Czech-born Navratilova) to win at SW19, and the first unseeded Wimbledon champion of the Open era.
2. Diede de Groot, NED (WC) ...no one does it better. Diede the Great extended her singles winning streak to 111 matches (37-0 in '23), and swept the Wimbledon singles (5th) and doubles (3rd) titles, winning her 11th consecutive singles slam and 35th and 36th (19s/17d) overall slam titles of her increasingly stunning wheelchair tennis career. De Groot will head to New York working on a third *straight* Grand Slam season in singles, and by this time next year could be the women's WC all-time singles slam leader (Vergeer-21).
3. Ons Jabeur, TUN ...on her continuing mission to become a grand slam champ, Jabeur played her way into a second straight Wimbledon final (3rd slam in 5) by collecting wins over four straight previous slam winners (Andreescu, 2-time champ Kvitova, DC Rybakina in a '22 final rematch two rounds early, and #2 Sabalenka), rallying from a set down three times, and overcoming a 3-1 3rd set deficit vs. Andreescu (3rd Rd.) and 4-3+GP hole in the 3rd vs. Sabalenka (SF). In the final vs. Vondrousova, though, Jabeur put forth a surprisingly low-wattage performance as she had no answer for the Czech's good defense and consistent, low-error play.
4. Ekaterina Alexandrova, RUS ...defended her Rosmalen title without dropping a set, then followed up with a SF in Berlin. At Wimbledon, she finally cracked through the Round of 16 slam threshold for the first time in her career. Was a combined 10-2 during this grass season.
5. Hsieh/Strycova, TPE/CZE ...four years after taking the SW19 crown together, and Strycova retiring and becoming a first-time mother while Hsieh sat out all of the '22 season, the vets combined to win the Wimbledon title again as (both aged 37) the oldest slam-winning team in Open era history. Meanwhile, Hsieh's fourth career Wimbledon WD slam (6th overall) comes just five weeks after she won Roland Garros with Wang Xinyu.
6. Petra Kvitova, CZE ...won yet another pre-SW19 grass title in Berlin, her first no-sets lost title run in seven years. At Wimbledon, she reached the Round of 16 for just the second time since her '14 title, but could offer little resistence vs. Jabeur.
7. Elina Svitolina, UKR ...followed up her sentimental comeback QF at Roland Garros by staging an even bigger run at SW19 with her third career slam SF (second at Wimbledon), her first in four years, with wins (like Jabeur) over four previous slam winners -- Venus, Kenin, Azarenka and Iga, the latter her 7th career #1 win -- only to (again like Jabeur) be unable to crack the tight-lipped game of Vondrousova.
8. Madison Keys, USA ...Keys picked up her first grass title in Eastbourne in 9 years, since she won her maiden tour title there in '14, then reached her first Wimbledon QF since '15, prevailing over 16-year old Mirra Andreeva in the 4th Round after trailing 6-3/4-1 (+BP).
9. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR ...Sabalenka followed up her RG semifinal with her second at Wimbledon in her return after the '22 RUS/BLR ban. It was her tour-best fourth straight slam SF, and 6th in the last 8 majors in which she's participated. But after blowing a 5-2 (+MP) 3rd set lead in the RG semis vs. Muchova, at SW19 Sabalenka lost a 4-3 (+GP) 3rd set lead vs. Jabeur to fall to 1-5 in career slam SF. Had she defeated Jabeur, Sabalenka would have replaced Swiatek as the world #1, but ultimately came up one win (actually, five points) short.
10. Alona Ostapenko, LAT ...the Latvian blasted through her opposition en route to the Birmingham title (def. Venus, Krejcikova). But after going 7-1 in pre-SW19 grass play, she fell in the 2nd Round at Wimbledon.
11. UKR women ...in addition to Svitolina's SF run at Wimbledon, the event saw Lyudmyla Kichenok claim her maiden slam title in MX, Lesia Tsurenko will her way to a victory in arguably the Match of the Tournament (well, at least the TB) by winning a women's slam record 38-point MTB over Ana Bogdan (20-18) in the 3rd Round in a 3:40 contest in which she saved 5 MP and won on MP #8, and Marta Kostyuk (who also won a pre-SW19 doubles title w/ Krejcikova in Birmingham) reached the 3rd Round after wins over #8 Sakkari and Badosa.
12. Katie Boulter, GBR ...won her maiden tour title in Nottingham in the first all-Brit WTA singles final (vs. Jodie Burrage) since 1977, returning to the Top 100 for the first time in four years, and then reaching her second straight Wimbledon 3rd Round.
13. Mirra Andreeva, RUS ...the 16-year old qualified for a second straight slam, then followed up her RG 3rd Round by making her slam Round of 16 debut in just her second major MD, defeating #10 Krejcikova and #22 Potapova along the way. She led #25 Keys by 6-3/4-1 (+BP) before losing her grip on the match, and composure, in a three-set defeat.
14. Iga Swiatek, POL ...no matter her seed, and that she was ridiculously "favored" to win the event, the (still, for now) world #1's QF at Wimbledon actually counts out as a rather good outcome. Still with little grass court experience (and still-growing confidence on the surface) wins over #30 Martic and #14 Bencic (saving 2 MP) were nice gets before her QF loss to Svitolina. Swiatek wasn't very likely to win Wimbledon *this* year, but enough was seen in '23 to think she *will* one day.
15. Jiske Griffioen, NED (WC) ...welcome back, Jiske. The former wheelchair #1 and very first Wimbledon WC singles champ (2016) retired in 2017 and missed two years. After returning and gradually working her way back up the rankings, the 37-year old Dutch veteran played in the first two slam finals of her comeback, defeating #2 Kamiji to reach the singles final (loss to de Groot), while also teaming with the world #1 (it pays to know Diede) to win the doubles for her first slam title since the '17 AO doubles.
HM- Clervie Ngounoue, USA (Jr.) ...Alina Korneeva came to London not riding on a pony, but seeking a third straight junior slam crown, but it was soon-to-turn-17 year old Bannerette Ngounoue who went home with her maiden junior slam singles crown. Before long we'll be seeing her in the *big* draw.


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1. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
- the AO champ could have put a very large wedge between herself and the other *real* "Ms.Backspin" contenders with a second '23 slam final (or better) and with the #1 ranking in hand heading back to North America. As it is, Sabalenka just stays ahead. Still, her overall season consistency will be hard to beat unless Iga defends the U.S. and Sabalenka bails early. Of course...

2. Diede de Groot, NED (WC)
- might Sabalenka's true "Ms.B" chaser be de Groot? 111 wins in a row and 11 straight slams. Another Grand Slam campaign and undefeated season could mean a second year-end seat in three years in the fuzzy yellow chair.

3. Iga Swiatek, POL
- was a reliable grass court player, reaching QF in Bad Homburg and SW19. It could be a pitched battle for year-end #1, but the Pole finishing there again won't necessarily mean she repeats as "Ms.B," as well.

4. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
- a fine Wimbledon defense attempt *might* have moved her past Iga, but her illness from Paris, a lackluster pre-SW19 campaign, and inability to win over Jabeur at a second straight SW19 leaves her in a holding pattern. Of course, during this season's last hard court stretch Rybakina was a win away from a "Sunshine Double." The North American summer could be her time to shine all over again.

5. Krejcikova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE
- barely holding off Vondrousova here after missing another slam. Separately, Krejcikova *did* win a WD title with Kostyuk and reached the Birmingham WS final, while Siniakova reached a final with Vondrousuova and won her first singles title on grass.

6. Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
- those springtime Round of 16 runs in I.W., Miami and Rome now provide a nice base on which to set her Wimbledon trophy, and build a Top 5 "Ms.B" season on. Just don't get injured in the aftermath again, please.

7. Petra Kvitova, CZE
- Czechs everywhere. That Miami title has now been bolstered by one in Berlin, and a second week run at Wimbledon. Petra's best season since '18.

8. Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
- still has a set of good-to-great singles results, including a win in Dubai (def. #1, #2 and #3), and four AO+1000 4r runs, but crash-landed to end the clay season, falling in the 1st Rd. at RG. Rebounded by reaching the Birmingham final only to go out 2nd Rd. at Wimbledon and pull out of WD w/ injury.

HM- Hsieh Su-wei, TPE - not really a *true* contender, except for a Top 8/10 placement, but worth a mention since she's six events into her comeback after sitting out all of 2022 and has won *two* slams.








=DAY 14 NOTES=
...after Sunday's men's final, all that was left to decide before the AELTC gates swung shut for another year was the women's doubles champions.

A lot has happened to Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova since they won the 2019 Wimbledon, but they came together again on the other side of it all to win *another* Wimbledon title together today, downing #3 seeds Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens 7-5/6-4.



A pregnant Strycova retired in 2021, but returned this season after becoming a mother to end her career on her own terms. 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, this is likely just a short-term reunion. But, hey, what if they win in NYC, too?

At 37 each, they're already the oldest slam-winning duo in Open era history, topping Liezel Huber (34) and Lisa Raymond (38) at the '11 U.S. Open. 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. Hsieh has won 13 of her last 14 matches while partnering Wang and Strycova.



...earlier in the day, #2-seeded Bannerette Clervie Ngounoue (you don't pronounce the first "N," ICYDK) won her first career singles slam with a 6-2/6-2 win over Czech Nikola Bartunkova, who'd ended #1 Alina Korneeva's undefeated '23 slam run in the semifinals. Ngounoue is the second straight U.S. girl to win the Wimbledon juniors crown, and the 15th overall.



After yesterday's women's final involved the winner (and coach) getting a new tattoo, Ngounoue (who turns 17 on Wednesday) announced to her mother that since she won the title she now has to let her get a second piercing. Clervie's older sister Malkia (22) couldn't be there for the final, as she was busy reaching the semifinals of a $25K challenger in Lakewood, California.

A pair of Czech Crushers won the girls' doubles, as Alena Kovackova and Laura Samsonova become the first pair from their country to take the juniors at Wimbledon since Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova in 2013. They defeated the first all-British duo to reach the final, Hannah Klugman & Isabelle Lacy, 6-4/7-5.



...Diede de Groot added to her slam haul, as well, joining with Jiske Griffioen to win the wheelchair doubles with a 6-1/6-4 win over Yui Kamiji & Kgothatso Montjane. De Groot's 17th career slam doubles win, it's her third Wimbledon crown but first since winning in '19 with Aniek Van Koot (she also won with Kamiji in '18); while this is Griffioen's 15th (third WI) but first since she un-retired in 2019. She last won a major in the AO doubles in '17.



...Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis combined to win their secord straight Invitational Doubles trophy, defeating Cara Black and Caroline Wozniacki (coming soon to a WTA court near you... well, if you're near Montreal) 6-1/7-5 in the final.

Rennae Stubbs and Nenad Zimonjic won the Invitational Mixed, defeating Conchita Martinez/Greg Rusedski 6-2/6-2 in the final.

...the Contrexeville 125 singles final saw Arantxa Rus defeat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-3/6-3, matching her biggest career title by claiming her *second* 125 crown of the season.



The Spanish duo of Cristina Bucsa and Alena Fomina-Klutz won the doubles.

...on the ITF circuit, Wimbledon qualifier (and Backspin's WI Top Q-Round Player) Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 20, moved on to clay in Rome, where the Spaniard picked up her biggest career title at a $60K challenger with a 6-2/6-4 win over Raluca Serban.

Meanwhile, Anett Konteveit is gone, but fellow Estonian Kaia Kanepi is still kickin' around. This weekend, she picked up a $60K singles title in Amstelveen, Netherlands, with a 6-2/7-6(5) win in the final over young Serb Lola Radivojevic (at 18, 20 years younger than Kanepi). It's Kanepi's 21st career challenger win to go along with her four tour-level titles (the last was in '13).

In Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, the Osuigwe sisters -- Victoria and '17 U.S. Open junior champ Whitney -- won the doubles, picking up their first title as a pair.

16-year old Canadian Victoria Mboko claimed her biggest career crown ($60K) with a 6-4/6-4 victory over 30-year old Emina Bektas in the final of the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (hey, I wonder if they've got time to catch an elking match with the Berrypickers?) challenger in Canada. It was actually a title *defense*, but last year's event was only a $25K.

32-year old Austrian Tamira Paszek (current #422) won just her second pro title since 2014 in a $25K in Don Benito, Spain, defeating Swiss Valentina Ryser 7-6(7)/6-7(5)/7-6(3) in the final. Paszek posted back-to-back Wimbledon QF runs in 2011-12, but hasn't played the event since 2016. She had 11 Top 10 wins between 2007-12, including over two #1's, Ana Ivanovic (2008) and Victoria Azarenka (2012) in the early rounds in Montreal.

In the Lakewood (CAL) $15K event, North Carolina Tar Heel Reese Brantmeier, a member of this year's NCAA title-winning team, won her maiden pro title with a 6-4/6-4 win over fellow Bannerette Haley Giavera (California).

...movers in the new rankings after Wimbledon:

#10 - Marketa Vondrousova (Kasatkina out of Top 10, Pliskova out of Top 20)
#27 - Elina Svitolina (from #49, back to UKR #1 over #28 Kalinina)
#49 - Ana Bogdan (back in the Top 50, her career high is #46)
#62 - Arantxa Rus (at 32, one off her career high)
#66 - Mirra Andreeva (up 37 spots)
#73 - Katie Boulter (new career high)
#94 - Sofia Kenin (back in Top 100)
#97 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (ditto)
#99 - Jodie Burrage (Top 100 debut)










*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
Marketa Vondrousova/CZE vs. #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN 6-4/6-4

*WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
(PR) Hsieh/Strycova (TPE/CZE) def. #3 Hunter/Mertens (AUS/BEL) 7-5/6-4

*MIXED DOUBLES FINAL*
#7 L.Kichenok/Pavic (UKR/CRO) def. Xu Y./Vliegen (CHN/BEL) 6-4/6-7(9)/6-3

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S FINAL*
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. Jiske Griffioen/NED 6-2/6-1

*WHEELCHAIR WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL*
#2 de Groot/Griffioen (NED/NED) def. #1 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA) 6-1/6-4

*GIRLS' SINGLES FINAL*
#2 Clervie Ngounoue/USA def. Nikola Bartunkova/CZE 6-2/6-2

*GIRLS' DOUBLES FINAL*
Kovackova/L.Samsonova (CZE/CZE) def. Klugman/Lacy (GBR/GBR) 6-4/7-5

*GIRLS' 14-and-UNDER*
#5 Luna Vujovic/SRB def. #4 Hollie Smart/GBR 6-3/6-1

*INVITATIONAL DOUBLES*
Kim Clijsters/Martina Hingis (BEL/SUI) def. Cara Black/Caroline Wozniacki (ZIM/DEN) 6-1/7-5

*INVITATIONAL MIXED*
Rennae Stubbs/Nenad Zimonjic (AUS/SRB) def. Conchita Martinez/Greg Rusedski (ESP/GBR) 6-2/6-2







...ICONIC SPOUSAL REACTION... ON DAY 14:




...ICONIC CAT MOM... ON DAY 14:




...TIP O' THE CAP... ON DAY 14:



But, ESPN, let's slow down on "the next generation" rivaling the old guard talk. It's one player. Alcaraz's win represents the *one* time someone other than the Djokovic/Nadal/Federer/Murray/Wawrinka group has won the AO, RG or WI in the last *57* versions of those three. The U.S. Open has been a little more "open" to change, for various reasons.

It does make you wonder, though, if none of his generation end up being consistently up to it, just how many slams could Alcaraz win as Nadal exits and Djokovic plays the "back stretch" (which will surely include more major titles)?


...WEIRD IMAGES... ON DAY 14:

So, who is this Cham Pion person? Does ol' Cham know Marketa (aka Mark Eta)? (Seriously, why would you separate the word like that?)



I mean, whose bright idea *was* this, anyway?




...AND MEN'S WHEELCHAIR HAS ITS TEEN PHENOM (back-to-back slams)... ON DAY 14:



It's still hard to believe that with all the attention given the Paralympics from the USOC and the reach of the USTA, that there are no high-level men's WC stars from the U.S. and only one "second tier" (not an insult, as the Dutch machine is hard to crack) player (#8-ranked Dana Mathewson) in women's. Mathewson won the doubles last year, the first U.S. player to win a WC slam.







Casey Kasem Top 40 Time, for July 19, 1986. A few highlights...

#16 - "Like a Rock" (Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band) - at this point you can't hear this song and *not* hear it as the theme music for a Chevy commercial, but in its original form it's a very poignant song. It would hit #1.




#12 - "Papa Don't Preach" (Madonna) - right in the middle of her prime hit-making stretch. She had 17 straight Top 10 hits -- all but "Borderline" were Top 5 -- on the Billboard chart from 1983-89, from "Lucky Star" through "Cherish." After a #20 hit, there were 8 more Top 10 songs in a row through 1992.




#4 - "Mad About You" (Belinda Carlisle) - 37 years after her first solo hit, she was displaying a lot of the same signature on-stage moves during the recent July 4th concert on The Mall

#2 - "Sledgehammer" (Peter Gabriel) - the ex-Genesis lead singer's only Top 5 hit in the U.S. Gabriel has been releasing songs this year from a new album.

#1 - "Invisible Touch" (Genesis) - with Phil Collins as lead singer, the band have their first #1. And I'm sure the first time anyone heard the song back in 1986 they *knew* it was going to be #1, too... it only takes about 20 seconds and you just know. This song started a run of five straight Top 5 singles from the "Invisible Touch" album. Interestingly, by this point Collins had already had four #1 solo hits of his own, but continued on as a member of the band. He would later have three more #1's in 1988-89.









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*2023 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
3 - Desirae Krawczyk, USA
3 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3 - Luisa Stefani, BRA
2 - Coco Gauff, USA
2 - HSIEH SU-WEI, TPE
2 - Jessie Pegula, USA
2 - Demi Schuurs, NED
2 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2 - Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
2 - Taylor Townsend, USA
[duos]
2...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA
2...Krawczyk/Schuurs, USA/NED
2...Krejcikova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE
[2020-23 - individuals]
15 - Katerina Siniakova (1/6/6/2)
12 - Barbora Krejcikova (1/5/3/3)
8 - HSIEH SU-WEI (4/2/0/2)
8 - Desirae Krawczyk (2/2/1/3)
8 - Elise Mertens (1/4/2/1)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
4 (3-1) = Desirae Krawczyk, USA
4 (2-2) = Coco Gauff, USA
4 (2-2) = Jessie Pegula, USA
4 (2-2) = Katerina Siniakova, CZE
4 (2-2) = Taylor Townsend, USA
4 (1-3) = STORM HUNTER, AUS
3 (3-0) = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3 (3-0) = Luisa Stefani, BRA
3 (1-2) = Chan Hao-ching, TPE
3 (1-2) = Shuko Aoyama, JPN
3 (1-2) = Ena Shibahara, JPN
3 (1-2) = Wang Xinyu, CHN
3 (0-3) = Leylah Fernandez, CAN
3 (0-3) = Nicole Melichar-Martinez, USA
3 (0-3) = Giuliana Olmos, MEX
2 (2-0) = HSIEH SU-WEI, TPE
2 (2-0) = Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
2 (1-1) = Lidziya Marozava, BLR
2 (1-1) = ELISE MERTENS, BEL
2 (1-1) = Ingrid Gamarra Martins, BRA
2 (1-1) = Wu Fang-hsien, TPE
2 (0-2) = Ellen Perez, AUS
[2023 finals - duos]
4...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA (2-2)
2...Krawczyk/Schuurs, USA/NED (2-0)
2...Krejickova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE (2-0)
2...Aoyama/Shibahara, JPN/JPN (1-1)
2...Gamarra Martins/Marozava, BRA/BLR (1-1)
2...HUNTER/MERTENS, AUS/BEL (1-1)
2...Fernandez/Townsend, CAN/USA (0-2)
2...Melichar-Martinez/Perez, USA/AUS (0-2)

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS TITLES - USA*
1957 Miriam Arnold
1958 Sally Moore
1960 Karen Hantze
1964 Peaches Bartkowicz
1968 Kristy Pigeon
1970 Sharon Walsh
1973 Ann Kiyomura
1977 Lea Antonopolis
1978 Tracy Austin
1979 Mary-Lou Piatek
1981 Zina Garrison
1992 Chanda Rubin
2017 Claire Liu
2022 Liv Hovde
2023 Clervie Ngounoue

*WIMBLEDON GIRLS FINALS - since 2011*
2011 Ashleigh Barty/AUS d. Irina Khromacheva/RUS
2012 Genie Bouchard/CAN d. Elina Svitolina/UKR
2013 Belinda Bencic/SUI d. Taylor Townsend/USA
2014 Alona Ostapenko/LAT d. Kristina Schmiedlova/SVK
2015 Sofya Zhuk/RUS d. Anna Blinkova/RUS
2016 Anastasia Potapova/RUS d. Dayana Yastremska/UKR
2017 Claire Liu/USA d. Ann Li/USA
2018 Iga Swiatek/POL d. Leonie Kung/SUI
2019 Daria Snigur/UKR d. Alexa Noel/USA
2021 Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP d. Nastasja Schunk/GER
2022 Liv Hovde/USA d. Luca Udvardy/HUN
2023 Clervie Ngounoue/USA d. Nikola Bartunkova/CZE

*WHEELCHAIR SLAMS BY NATION*
[SINGLES - 61 events]
49 - NED
...21-Vergeer, 19-de Groot, 4-Griffioen, 3-Van Koot, 1-Homan, 1-Buis
9 - JPN (8-Kamiji, 1-Yaosa)
2 - GER (Ellerbrock)
1 - GBR (Whiley)

[DOUBLES - 66 events]
96 - NED
...23-Van Koot, 21-Vergeer, 17-de Groot, 15-Griffioen, 7-Walraven, 5-Buis, 5-Homan, 3-Smit
19 - JPN (19-Kamiji)
12 - GBR (Whiley)
2 - FRA (Gravellier)
1 - AUS (Di Toro)
1 - RSA (Montjane)
1 - USA (Mathewson)

*WIMBLEDON WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS*
[doubles]
2009 Korie Homan/Esther Vergeer (NED/NED)
2010 Esther Vergeed/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2011 Esther Vergeer/Sharon Walraven (NED/NED)
2012 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2013 Jiske Griffioen/Aniek van Koot (NED/NED)
2014 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2015 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2016 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2017 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2018 Diede de Groot/Yui Kamiji (NED/JPN)
2019 Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot (NED/NED)
2021 Yui Kamiji/Jordanne Whiley (JPN/GBR)
2022 Yui Kamiji/Dana Mathewson (JPN/USA)
2023 Diede de Groot/Jiske Griffioen (NED/NED)

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM DOUBLES TITLES*
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]*
17 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [4-5-3-5]*
15 - JISKE GRIFFIOEN, NED [5-3-3-4]*
12 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR [3-2-5-2]

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM TITLES*
[singles/doubles]
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
36 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (19/17)*
27 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (8/19)*
26 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/23)*
19 - JISKE GRIFFIOEN, NED (4/15)*
13 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR (1/12)

*ALL-TIME WC SLAM TITLES (M+W)*
50 - Shingo Kunieda, JPN (28/22)
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
36 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (19/17)*
27 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (8/19)*
26 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/23)*
25 - ALFIE HEWETT, GBR (7/18)*
24 - GORDON REID, GBR (2/22)*

*RECENT WIMBLEDON DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2013 Hsieh Su-Wei & Peng Shuai, TPE/CHN
2014 Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci, ITA/ITA
2015 Martina Hingis & Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Serena Williams & Venus Williams, USA/USA
2017 Ekaterina Makarova & Elena Vesnina, RUS/RUS
2018 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2019 Hsieh Su-wei & Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
2021 Hsieh Su-wei & Elise Mertens, TPE/BEL
2022 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2023 Hsieh Su-wei & Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE

*RECENT WD SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
RG: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
US: Ash Barty/CoCo Vandeweghe (AUS/USA)
[2019]
AO: Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)
RG: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova (TPE/CZE)
US: Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (BEL/BLR)
[2020]
AO: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
US: Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva (GER/RUS)
RG: Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (HUN/FRA)
[2021]
AO: Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (BEL/BLR)
RG: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei/Elise Mertens (TPE/BEL)
US: Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)
[2022]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
RG: Caroline Garcia/Kristina Mladenovic (FRA/FRA)
WI: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
US: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
[2023]
AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
RG: Hsieh Su-wei/Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
WI: Hsieh Su-wei & Barbora Strycova (TPE/CZE)

*CAREER WOMEN'S DOUBLES SLAM TITLES - active*
14...Venus Williams
7...Barbora Krejcikova
7...Katerina Siniakova
6...HSIEH SU-WEI
6...Kristina Mladenovic
5...Sara Errani
5...Bethanie Mattek-Sands
4...Timea Babos

*RECENT WIMBLEDON GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2013 Barbora Krejcikova & Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
2014 Tami Grende & Ye Quiyu, INA/CHN
2015 Dalma Galfi & Fanny Stollar, HUN/HUN
2016 Usue Arconada & Claire Liu, USA/USA
2017 Olga Danilovic & Kaja Juvan, SRB/SLO
2018 Wang Xinyu & Wang Xiyu, CHN/CHN
2019 Savannah Broadus & Abigail Forbes, USA/USA
2021 Kristina Dmitruk & Diana Shnaider, BLR/RUS
2022 Rose Marie Nijkamp & Angella Okyutoyi, NED/KEN
2023 Alena Kovackova & Laura Samsonova, CZE/CZE

*RECENT GIRLS DOUBLES SLAM CHAMPIONS*
[2018]
AO: Liang En-Shuo/Wang Xinyu (TPE/CHN)
RG: Caty McNally/Iga Swiatek (USA/POL)
WI: Wang Xinyu/Wang Xiyu (CHN/CHN)
US: Coco Gauff/Caty McNally (USA/USA)
[2019]
AO: Natsumi Kawaguchi/Adrienn Nagy (JPN/HUN)
RG: Chloe Beck/Emma Navarro (USA/USA)
WI: Savannah Broadus/Abigail Forbes (USA/USA)
US: Kamilla Bartone/Oksana Selekhmetova (LAT/RUS)
[2020]
AO: Alex Eala/Priska Madelyn Nugroho (PHI/INA)
RG: Eleonora Alvisi/Lisa Pigoti (ITA/ITA)
[2021]
RG: Alex Eala/Oksana Selekmeteva (PHI/RUS)
WI: Kristina Dmitruk/Diana Shnaider (BLR/RUS)
US: Ashlyn Krueger/Robin Montgomery (USA/USA)
[2022]
AO: Clervie Ngounoue/Diana Shnaider (USA/RUS)
RG: Sara Bejlek/Lucie Havlickova (CZE/CZE)
WI: Rose Marie Nijkamp/Angella Okutoyi (NED/KEN)
US: Lucie Havlickova/Diana Shnaider (CZE/RUS)
[2023]
AO: Renata Jamrichova/Federica Urgesi (SVK/ITA)
RG: Tyra Caterina Grant/Clervie Ngounoue (USA/USA)
WI: Alena Kovackova/Laura Samsonova (CZE/CZE)

*WIMBLEDON "KIMIKO CUP FOR VETERAN ACHIEVEMENT" WINNERS*
2015 Martina Hingis, SUI
2016 Venus Williams, USA
2017 Venus Williams, USA
2018 Angelique Kerber, GER
2019 Barbora Strycova, CZE
2021 Karolina Pliskova, CZE and Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2022 Tatjana Maria, GER and Alize Cornet, FRA
2023 Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2014 Alona Ostapenko, LAT
2015 Sofya Zhuk, RUS
2016 Dayana Yastremska, UKR
2017 Ann Li, USA
2018 Wang Xinyu/CHN & Wang Xiyu/CHN
2019 Daria Snigur, UKR
2021 Ane Mintegi del Olmo/ESP and Nastasja Schunk/GER
2022 Liv Hovde, USA
2023 Clervie Ngounoue/USA and Nikola Bartunkova/CZE

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "DOUBLES STAR" WINNERS*
2015 Sania Mirza, IND
2016 Heather Watson, GBR
2017 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
2018 Diede de Groot & Yui Kamiji, NED/JPN (WC)
2019 Hsieh Su-wei & Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
2021 Yui Kamiji & Jordanne Whiley, JPN/GBR (WC)
2022 Angella Okutoyi, KEN (jr.) and Dana Mathewson, USA (WC)
2023 Lyudmyla Kichenok, UKR

*WIMBLEDON INVITATION DOUBLES WINNERS - SINCE 2007*
[1992 Wendy Turnbull & Virginia Wade]
2007 Jana Novotna & Helena Sukova
2008 Jana Novotna & Kathy Rinaldi
2009 Martina Navratilova & Helena Sukova
2010 Martina Navratilova & Jana Novotna
2011 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2012 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2013 Lindsay Davenport & Martina Hingis
2014 Jana Novotna & Barbara Schett
2015 Magdalena Maleeva & Rennae Stubbs
2016 Martina Navratilova & Selima Sfar
2017 Cara Black & Martina Navratilova
2018 Kim Clijsters & Rennae Stubbs
2019 Cara Black & Martina Navratilova
2021 DNP
2022 Kim Clijsters & Martina Hingis
2023 Kim Clijsters & Martina Hingis
[most wins]
5...Martina Navratilova
5...Martina Hingis
4...Jana Novotna
3...Kim Clijsters
3...Lindsay Davenport
2...Cara Black
2...Rennae Stubbs (+1 MX)
2...Helena Sukova
1...Magdalena Maleeva
1...Kathy Rinaldi
1...Barbara Schett
1...Selima Sfar
[MX Invitational]
2022 Marion Bartoli & Nenad Zimonjic
2023 Conchita Martinez & Greg Rusedski



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TOP QUALIFIER: Jessica Bouzas Maneiro/ESP
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #25 Madison Keys/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - #18 Lucrezia Stefanini def. (PR) Hsieh Su-wei 6-2/6-7(3)/7-6(11-9)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #20 Donna Vekic/CRO def. Sloane Stephens/USA 4-6/7-5/6-4 - trailed 6-4/3-0 and 2 BP, Stephens served at 5-3
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 3rd Rd. - Lesia Tsurenko/UKR def. Ana Bogdan/ROU 4-6/6-4/7-6(20-18) - 3:40, slam-record 38-pt. TB; Tsurenko on 8th MP after saved 5 in TB
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): SF - #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN def. #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR 6-7(5)/6-4/6-3 - down set and 4-3 and GP for 5-3
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: (PR) Barbora Strycova/CZE (def. Zanevska/BEL; first Wimb. match since 2019 SF)
FIRST SEED OUT: #15 Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (1st Rd.-Bogdan/ROU)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Bai Zhuoxuan/CHN, Jodie Burrage/GBR, Tamara Korpatsch/GER, Natalija Stevanovic/SRB
UPSET QUEENS: Romania
REVELATION LADIES: The Return of the Hordettes
NATION OF POOR SOULS: ITA (1-6 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Mirra Andreeva/RUS (4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Elina Svitolina/UKR (SF)
PROTECTED RANKING: Jaqueline Cristian/ROU, Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP, Barbora Strycova/CZE (all 2nd Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: Tamara Korpatsch/GER (2nd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Katie Boulter (3rd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Marketa Vondrousova/CZE
IT "Teen Phenom": Mirra Andreeva/RUS
COMEBACK PLAYER: Elina Svitolina/UKR
CRASH & BURN: Tatjana Maria/GER ('22 semifinalist, loses 1st Rd.)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF LONDON: Lesia Tsurenko/UKR (3rd Rd.: in 3:40, wins slam record 38-pt. TB over Bogdan on 7th MP; saved 5 MP in TB; Bogdan served for match at 5-3 3rd)
DOUBLES STAR: Lyudmyla Kichenok/UKR
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Clervie Ngounoue/USA and Nikola Bartunkova/CZE
SPIRIT OF JANA (NOVOTNA) HONOREE: Karolina Muchova/CZE






All for now. Additional Grass Court Awards this week.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:38 PM 

6 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

I can't help but wonder what if Carlitos hadn't cramps in the RG SF. Djoker also won Aus open without Alcaraz being in the draw.

In palermo, Francesca Curmi is the first ever player from Malta to play a WTA main draw match as a lucky loser. Kasatkina is also in the draw as top seed, but, will she win the tourny?

Mon Jul 17, 05:03:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

I actually have Niemeier/Muchova over Tsurenko/Bogdan for Match of the Tournament.

Hsieh/Strycova is a really good story.

US Open cutoff projects the last 3 direct entrants as Dolehide, Brengle, Townsend.

Pavlyuchenkova and Avanesyan won't need to qualify. Neither will Fernandez, who actually went up 11 spots to 84.

Points to defend through USO:

2280- Swiatek
1335- Sabalenka
261 - Rybakina

Stat of the Week- 76- Months between Vondrousova's last title and her slam win.

We have had 59 players win a title in the Open Era. Four of those(Richey, King, Court, Jones) won titles before the Open Era. For Court, the 1960 Australian Open was her first, while the other 3 each won an official title 1 or 2 months before.

Then you have the first timers(Raducanu, Swiatek, Ostapenko, Jordan, O'Neil).

Longest Between Last Title and First Slam Victory:

76 m- Vondrousova
30 m- Rybakina
21 m- Bartoli
18 m- Pennetta
17 m- Stephens
17 m- Stosur
16 m- Pierce
9 m- Jausovec
8 m- Muguruza
8 m- V.Williams

23 have won their first slam within a month of a title.

Like Vondrousova, Capriati did have a 76 month gap(1993-99) between titles in her career, but won a title 4 months before her 2001 Australian Open win.

Quiz Time!

Which slam winner had the most wins in finals against the Maleeva sisters?

A.Martina Navratilova
B.Stefanie Graf
C.Conchita Martinez
D.Monica Seles

Interlude-Sabrina Ionescu's All-Star performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DquTVwX4njo

Answer!

There is not a player that defeated all 3 sisters in finals, but everybody on this list, along with Jennifer Capriati, beat two.

It is not (D)Seles, though she beat Katerina and Manuela in back to back finals in the run up to her first slam title in 1990.

(A)Navratilova is wrong, though the number went up to 3 with 2 wins over Manuela and one over Katerina.

(C)Martinez got Magdalena and Manuela twice, leaving her at 4. That leaves (B)Graf as the main tormentor, as she beat Manuela 4 times;Katerina 3.

Mon Jul 17, 09:42:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Ms. Backspin:Rebuttal.

1.Sabalenka- Even more than Iga, if you want to reach a slam final, you have to go through her.
2.Swiatek- Dominant on clay, she has learned to win ugly on other surfaces; see 2022 USO-Sabalenka; 2023 Wimbledon-Bencic.
3.Rybakina- Illness has slowed her roll somewhat, but year long credentials keep her here.
4.Bencic- Early season start still has her here over one event wonders.
5.Vondrousova- Opens up the Czechia section with a Wimbledon win for the ages.
6.Kvitova- Miami and Berlin keep her here while Wimbledon points to a good summer.
7.Muchova- Roland Garros finalist has the most varied game in the biz.
8.Gauff/Pegula- Under the radar in singles, their doubles play has been award worthy.
9.Kasatkina- An up and down year, but better than some that have been in the Top 10 all season.
10.Switolina- Took down a #1(again), won Strasbourg and has been relevant at both slams since her comeback.

Mon Jul 17, 10:18:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Player of the Quarter:Rebuttal.

1.Vondrousova- On here because of her Berlin QF. Kidding, here because of her historic run as an unseeded player at Wimbledon.
2.Jabeur- 2023 Wimbledon run similar to Stosur's 2010 RG run, in which she got everything but the title.
3.Sabalenka- Every big match this season has been because of a Sabalenka win or loss.
4.Alexandrova- Rosmalen winner and Berlin SF had a not bad Wimbledon loss to Sabalenka.
5.Keys- Eastbourne winner played well at Wimbledon, but lost to a better version of herself in Sabalenka.
6.Kvitova- Berlin winner was relevant at Wimbledon. Holding it up for the over 30 crowd.
7.Pegula- Eastbourne QF was the warmup, Wimbledon QF was the finish. Disappointing, but there were 120 women who wanted to reach the QF and didn't.
8.Hsieh/Strycova- Coming out of retirement/break to win a title. It's Serena in disguise.
9.Boulter- A British player winning anything is a big deal. To do so at home is even bigger. HM to Dart for her QF runs at Nottingham and Birmingham.
10.Ostapenko- Birmingham winner and Eastbourne QF stays on the list even with the early exit at Wimbledon.

Mon Jul 17, 10:28:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

The tour goes back to clay in both Budapest and Palermo.

Juvan and Baindl probably are the favorites in Budapest, while Zheng and Rus are in Palermo.

Hopman Cup starts Wednesday. The 6 women involved as of now are Tauson, Bencic, Cornet, Masarova, Vekic, Mertens.

Mon Jul 17, 11:01:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

K-

Weird thing about that is that Curmi hasn't even been the Maltese player who's gotten the most attention. That'd be Helene Pellicano (at least as a jr.). Haven't heard from her in a while (she hasn't played in a year), don't know if she had a serious injury or not. :/


C-

Those defense points look *really* good for Rybakina. :)

Quiz: I thought the vast majority would have been vs. the big sister Manuela, so I went with Navratilova. :(

Ionescu: 25/27 (20 in a row!)

I still think Krejickova should be in there with a 1000 title + 3 1000 4r, finals on two surfaces and 4 Top 10 wins, three over the Top 3 (and if you throw in the WD slam, IW crown and another title on grass w/ Kostyuk).

I probably should have added Bencic to the end of my list (if I'd gone to 10, surely). :/

Tue Jul 18, 09:30:00 PM EDT  

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