Sunday, August 13, 2023

Wk.32- Pegula Embraces Her Eh-Game






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*WEEK 32 CHAMPIONS*
MONTREAL QUE, CAN (WTA 1000/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Jessie Pegula/USA def. Liudmila Samsonova/RUS 6-1/6-0
D: Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara (JPN/JPN) def. Desirae Krawczyk/Demi Schuurs (USA/NED) 6-4/4-6 [13-11]
GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI, POLAND (WTA 125/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Dayana Yastremska/UKR def. Greet Minnen/BEL 2-6/6-1/6-3
D: Katarzyna Kawa/Elixine Lechemia (POL/FRA) def. Niktha Bains/Maia Lumsden (GBR/GBR) 6-3/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jessie Pegula/USA
...finally, things broke Pegula's way. Not in this annual event's alternating host city of Toronto -- just a hop, skip and a jump across the border from her Buffalo hometown -- but in Montreal... where she was simply magnifique, eh?

Early straight sets wins over Yulia Putintseva and Jasmine Paolini showed Pegula to be in good form, but it was later when she put down the results that could prove to be more important starting a little later this month. From the QF on, where Pegula often finds herself confronted with major roadblocks, the world #3 both played up to and exceeded her ranking, first ending doubles partner Coco Gauff's undefeated summer hard court run with a three set win, then posting her second '23 victory over #1 Iga Swiatek (also in three sets) to advance into her third career 1000 final (she won Guadalajara last fall, but only had one Top 20 win... and it was over Maria Sakkari, in a final).

Pegula, while dealing with a few odd, mid-rally interruptions (illuminated lights, Cotton Eye Joe) during the week, had pretty much made her own luck, but she got a bit of it back on Sunday as fellow finalist Liudmila Samsonova, who'd had to play two matches on Friday because of weather delays was again asked to play two matches on Sunday after more rain on Saturday.

Pegula was fresh and in form, while Samsonova had reached her limit. Pegula won 6-1/6-0. The win gives the Bannerette her third career title, and will now inject her into the conversation -- far more forcefully than would have been the case otherwise -- when it comes to Flushing Meadows title contention.

Hmmm, maybe Pegula *did* have a Montreal "connection," after all...


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RISERS: Liudmila Samsonova/RUS and Elena Rybakina/KAZ
...the last two weeks, we've gotten a scaled-down version of last year's Summer of Samsonova.

In 2022, Samsonova used the hard court summer to turn what had been a bad year (10-14) into a career season, charging into North America and winning thirteen straight matches. She went on an 18-1 run, winning three titles, reaching the U.S. Open Round of 16 and cracking the Top 20.

2023 hasn't been a *bad* year for the Hordette, as she *did* reach a tour final (Abu Dhabi) in February, but she was just 16-16 coming out of the grass court season.

Well, here we go again.

Samsonova reached the Washington semis as defending champ last week, losing to eventual title-winner Coco Gauff. This week, she posted the best 1000+ result of her career just by reaching the QF, and actually played her way into the final with wins over Katerina Siniakova, Zheng Qinwen, #2 Aryna Sabalenka (her biggest career win), Belinda Bencic and #4 Elena Rybakina.

Problem is, rain delays meant that she was forced to play both Sabalenka *and* Bencic on Friday, then was had to double-up again on Sunday with a SF vs. Rybakina and the final vs. Jessie Pegula, leaving her with little left to give in the closer vs. a fresh opponent. She won just one game.

Still, while a repeat of that 18-1 run is now out the window, Samsonova is 8-2 on summer hard courts and will match her career-best ranking of #12 on Monday.



Meanwhile, Rybakina *has had a year.* She's reached a slam final, nearly completed the "Sunshine Double," defeated Iga on clay (and twice more on hard court), reached three 1000 finals and has climbed to #3 in the rankings. But Montreal put her to a test.

After surviving an early three-set challenge from comeback-minded Jennifer Brady, a win over Sloane Stephens was followed by one of if not *the* marathon match of the season. Her Friday night/Saturday morning QF clash -- which started late because of so many other previously cancelled (due to rain) matches being rescheduled for Friday -- with Dasha Kasatkina wasn't the longest match of the year (it went 3:27), but it lasted until nearly 3 a.m. and Rybakina, fighting against her serve all match long, won despite Kasatkina twice serving for the match and holding a MP, and the Kazakh failing to convert triple MP in the deciding TB before finally winning on her fifth MP.

After not getting to sleep until sometime Saturday morning, Rybakina was scheduled to play her semifinal vs. Samsonova on Saturday afternoon. Samsonova had had to play *two* matches (3r/QF) on Friday. Both got a "reprieve," but only after Saturday afternoon rain pushed the match back, and back, until it was finally rescheduled for Sunday.

The next day, a fresh(er) Rybakina won the opening set of the SF in less than half an hour, but her week finally caught up with her the rest of way as she collected just three games in the final two sets.


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SURPRISE: Zeynep Sönmez/TUR
...2023 has been a building year for the 21-year old, who has made her tour-level debut (Rosmalen as a qualifier, then doing so again in Hamburg), played in Wimbledon qualifying (Q1), won her biggest career title ($40K), became Turkey's #1-ranked player, and cracked the Top 200.

This week in Grodzisk Mazowiecki (POL), Sonmez reached her first WTA 125 semifinal, posting three Top 200 wins over Dalina Jakupovic, Rebecca Sramkova and Noma Noha Akugue. She lost to Dayana Yastremska.

Closing in on 50 match wins on the season (47), Sonmez will climb to another new career high (#176) next week.


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VETERAN: Danielle Collins/USA
...after a mostly forgettable year, Collins sparked again in Montreal.

Collins hadn't posted consecutive wins since February, with just two QF+ results. Since her SF run in Austin, she'd gone 2-7. But the Bannerette qualified with wins over Genie Bouchard and Emina Bektas, then strung together impressive MD victories over Elina Svitolina, Maria Sakkari and Leylah Fernandez to reach the QF.

She then pushed Iga Swiatek to three sets, but fell in a 6-2 3rd. Still, Collins will rise from just inside the Top 50 to back inside the Top 35 on Monday.

If Collins keeps this up, there may be a whole new set of prerequisites for coaches of WTA players (per the fairly new Collins/Jared Jacobs pairing).


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COMEBACK: Maja Chwalinska/POL
...the 21-year old Pole returned in March after missing six months with a knee injury (which had followed her going public with a years-long battle with depression). Chwalinska had won a pair of ITF events in '22 and gone 40-15 before the injury, including qualifying and winning a MD match at Wimbledon.

She came into the week 6-11 on the year and on a four-match losing streak, but immediately rebounded on home soil in the WTA 125 challenger in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, where she took a wild card into the event and upset top seeded Jule Niemeier in the 1st Round, her second career Top 100 victory. Chwalinksa (#532) followed with wins over Anna Siskova and Martyna Kubka, reaching her first SF on any level since her return. She lost to Greet Minnen, but will jump all the way to nearly the Top 400 in the next rankings.

Chwalinska was ranked at #149 last October.
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FRESH FACES: Dayana Yastremska/UKR and Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE
...while still surely scrolling through social media posts looking for things to petition the tour to sanction fellow tour members for, Yastremska actually managed to put such detailed work into her actions between the lines in the WTA 125 in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, claiming her first singles title on any level since 2019.

Yastremska posted wins over Naima Abduraimova, Emiliana Arango, Tereza Martincova (from a set down), Zeynep Sönmez and Greet Minnen (also from a set down) in a three-set final. The result had already accounted for just the second QF+ result all season for the Ukrainian in 23 total events (she reached a challenger SF in May).

3-2 in career WTA finals (w/ three wins in 2018-19), Yastremska's most recent tour-level final was last year in Lyon. At a career-best #21 pre-pandemic in 2020, she came into the week at #149. She'll climb to around #112 on Monday.



Meanwhile, on the ITF circuit...

The younger Fruhvirtova, just 16 in April, last week became the youngest player to win ten career ITF titles. This week in Leipzig, she added to her totals and remained undefeated in career pro finals, sweeping a second straight event without losing a set. She finished off Darya Astakhova 6-3/6-3 in the final.

Fruhvirtova has qualified at two slams this season (AO/RG), and just missed out on doing so at a third (WI Q3), but hasn't yet posted a MD tour-level win (going 0-6 in WTA/slam 1st Rounds in 2022-23).

And now make it 11...


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DOWN: Caroline Garcia/FRA
...while Garcia's opening match loss in Montreal to Marie Bouzkova was a continuation of their head-to-head trend (the Czech is 4-0 vs. the Pastry, though the other three wins were all on grass), it was another not-that-good sign for the still #6-ranked player in the world for whom, if not winter, than certainly "autumn is coming." And soon.

While Garcia is still 29-17 on the year, there's been a fair drop-off from her 17-6 start. She reached two early finals in Monterrey and Lyon, but hasn't reached a SF since (she's 2-5 in '23 QF), failed to reach the second week at Roland Garros (2r) and Wimbledon (3r) and has gone 12-11 in her last 23, including three straight losses.

A significant ranking hit could be coming if Garcia doesn't post something big soon, as she's got three huge points defenses on the horizon at Cincinnati ('22 champ), the U.S. Open (SF) and the WTAF (champ), the latter of which she doesn't seem a particularly good bet to even qualify for as she stands at #18 in the Points Race.

Garcia is ready for the challenge... or, umm, something... I guess...


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ITF PLAYERS: Wang Xinyu/CHN and Julia Grabher/AUT
...in Landisville, Pennsylvania, Wang won her second career $100K crown with a 6-2/6-3 win in the final over Madison Brengle.

The title further adds to a season that has already seen her reach a tour-level SF (Hua Hin) and QF (Hobart), post MD wins at all three slams and crack the Top 60 in April. She's gone 10-4 in her last 14, including a 3rd Round at Roland Garros (a career slam best). This run has been especially needed, considering Wang had a 1-6 slide during the spring following a 3rd Round effort at Indian Wells (after wins over Mertens and Alexandrova). She'll jump to a new career high (around #56) on Monday.

2023 has seen Wang win the RG doubles title alongside Hsieh Su-wei, as well.

Meanwhile, Grabher continued with what has been a career year.

The 27-year old Austrian won the $100K in Maspalomas, Spain, claiming her biggest ITF title (she won a WTA 125 in '22) with a 6-4/6-4 win over Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

In 2023, Grabher has made her MD debut at all three of the majors played (after having been 0-for-12 in previous Q-attempts), posted a 1st Round win in Paris, as well as making four different 1000 debuts (reaching the 3rd Rd. in Rome), and playing in her maiden tour final (Rabat in May). She'll crack the Top 50 for the first time on Monday.
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JUNIOR STARS: CZE 14u (ITF team)
...Crushers gonna crush.

In Prostejov, the Czechs successfully defended their 14u ITF Juniors title, winning the team event for the third time in the last four competitions. As usual, it was a *team* effort, as the knock-out stage saw the Czechs win all three ties in the deciding doubles (vs. AUS-SRB-GER), including recovering from a 1-0 deficit in the final when Germany's Mariella Thamm defeated Jana Kovackova 6-1/6-1 in the opening match.

Sara Oliveriusova kept the Crushers alive with a 6-3/6-1 win over Tamina Kochta, then combined with the greatly-named Lucie Slamenikova to defeat Kochta and Emilia Carlotta Brune 7-5/6-2 to claim the title.

Sara Oliveriusova, Lucis Slamenikova, Jana Kovackova and Captain Petra Cetkovska (SRDJAN STEVANOVIC)

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DOUBLES: Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN/JPN
...Aoyama & Shibahara don't get much attention, but they've been pretty hard to take down since they started teaming up a few years ago.

In Montreal, the Japanese pair picked up a second career 1000 title to go along with the one they won in Miami two years ago, claiming their tenth WTA title (second in '23 w/ Rosmalen; they also reached the AO final) after opening the week by taking a 10-8 MTB over Washington champs Siegemund/Zvonareva, getting a walkover from Gauff/Pegula, then adding their names to the list of weather-related two-fers in Quebec with a pair of Sunday wins over Latisha Chan/Yang Zhaoxuan and then Desirae Krawczyk/Demi Schuurs in the final (via a 13-11 MTB).

Krawczyk/Schuurs were looking to become the first doubles team this year to collect a third title on the season.

The win is #19 in Aoyama's career, while all ten of Shibahara's tour titles have come alongside her countrywoman.



The duos and players to have won more WTA doubles titles in the 2020s than Aoyama & Shibahara's eight? Two Czechs named Krejcikova and Siniakova. That's it. That's the list.
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WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
...the wheelchair #1 continued to roll this week, taking the European Para Championships crown in Rotterdam (NED) without dropping a set vs. Maayan Zikri, Charlotte Fairbank, Katharina Kruger and Aniek Van Koot in a 6-3/6-1 final.

It's de Groot's 31st consecutive singles title, improving her season mark to 44-0 and her extending her winning streak to 118 matches.



In doubles, de Groot teamed up with Van Koot for the first time since March. While Van Koot was out injured, and for a time since she's returned, de Groot has teamed with several other partners, going 13-2 and winning three titles (including WI w/ Jiske Griffioen). The Dutch duo took the EuroPara crown with a 1 & 1 win in the final over Brits Cornelia Oosthuizen & Lucy Shuker.

De Groot/Van Koot are currently on a 19-2 run (9-2 in '23, with the AO crown), and are 52-5 from 2021-23.
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1. Montreal QF - Elena Rybakina def. Dasha Kasatkina
...5-7/7-5/7-6(8). Imagine if Kasatkina had a serve.

Rybakina's serve was off here, opening the door for the Russian to stretch this one out for nearly three and a half hours. Kasatkina twice served for the match, once each in the 2nd (where she held a break lead on four different occasions) and the 3rd, but it was almost as predictable as the sunrise that she wouldn't be able to put it away. She didn't.

Kasatkina immediately gave away a 4-3 break lead in the decider, then again failed to serve out the match at 6-5.

In the deciding TB, Rybakina held triple MP at 6-3, but two return game UE left an opening for Kasatkina, who ran around to hit an all-or-nothing forehand off a Rybakina second serve on MP #3 a game later. Her shot caught the corner and it was 6-6.



The Hordette's great defense then got her a MP chance at 8-7, but Rybakina saved it with a big serve, then finally converted on MP #5 at nearly 3 a.m. Montreal time.


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2. Montreal 1st Rd. - Jennifer Brady def. Alona Ostapenko
...7-6(7)/0-6/7-6(8). A thunderous upset and a sign that Brady's comeback could get *real* very quickly, or just your typical Ostapenko match?

Ostapenko led #561 Brady, in just her fifth match back since injuring her foot in '21 (vs. Ostapenko in Cincinnati, no less), 4-2 in the 1st, and had a pair of SP in the TB. Brady won it 9-7. After the usual Ostapenko rebound -- a love 2nd set -- the Latvian ran her game streak to 9 and led 4-1 in the 3rd. She held three BP for 5-1 lead. But Brady twice held to stay in the match, then overcame a 3-1 deciding TB deficit, saving two MP at 7-6 and 8-7, and winning 10-8.


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3. Montreal 3rd Rd. - Liudmila Samsonova def. Aryna Sabalenka
...7-6(2)/4-6/6-3. As Sabalenka continues to fritter away her chances of taking the #1 ranking this summer, Samsonova posts her first QF+ result in a 1000-or-bigger event all season, notching her fourth career Top 10 win (and the biggest).

And she ended it with a cheeky drop shot on MP, too.


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4. Montreal SF - Jessie Pegula def. Iga Swiatek
...6-2/6-7(4)/6-4. Pegula does Sabalenka's quest a slight favor, not allowing Iga to pack on *too* many additional 1000-level points before the Open.

The two traded off breaks in the 2nd, with Swiatek twice squandering break leads (2-0 and 3-1) early, then Pegula (at 4-3 and 5-4) doing so late. Swiatek seemed to put her foot down -- '22 U.S. Open style -- late in the set, forcing a TB and then rallying from 4-2 back, sweeping the final five points to play into the 3rd set for a third consecutive match during the week.

There, Swiatek led 2-0, and was up a break twice before finally cracking mid-set. Down 4-2, Pegula ran off the final four games as Swiatek's error totals climbed at precisely the wrong time.

It's Pegula's second career #1 win (she's now 2-5 in her career vs. #1 players), but her first one in a "real" event, as her previous win over Iga came in the United Cup event in January.



Next Points Exchange Stop: Cincinnati. Last year, Swiatek went out in the 3rd Round, while Sabalenka reached the SF.

Meanwhile, was there something in the water in Montreal? First, the lights came on in the middle of a Gauff/Pegula rally, then this...


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5. Montreal Final - Jessie Pegula def. Liudmila Samsonova
...6-1/6-0. Good for Pegula, who really won this title with her win over Swiatek in the semis. But, really, the schedule turned this into essentially a waste of a final, which lasted just 49 minutes (and it could have been predicted).

But I guess that's what you get when you force a player to play multiple matches on two out of three days to end the week, and wait all day to *not* play on the day in between, while everyone had a good laugh -- belaboring the point well into Sunday -- about Cotton Eye Joe.

Both tours might "share" both ends of this event during the week, but both sites have enough courts to accomodate weather-damaged schedules and avoid putting players in the sort of difficult position that Samsonova was on Sunday, or Rybakina would have been on Saturday had she had to play then after not finishing up until *3 AM* on Friday night (which pretty much eliminated an earlier start vs. Samsonova for their SF, as one mistake grew exponentially all the way into Sunday).

The Samsonova/Rybakina semi didn't start until 1:30 pm, at least two hours later than it should have (eliminating two very important hours of recovery time for the winner). It should have started at 11 or 11:30.


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6. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Jennifer Brady
...6-7(3)/7-6(5)/6-3. Brady didn't get the even bigger win (than over Ostapenko), but led Rybakina 4-2 in the 1st set TB when rain pushed the conclusion from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon. There she broke back vs. Rybakina late in the 2nd and forced a TB, where the Kazakh edged her out and then pulled away from an on-serve 3rd at the mid-way point.



As long as she can remain healthy, Brady seems positioned to be a factor once again.


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7. Montreal 1st Rd. - Caroline Wozniacki def. Kimberly Birrell 6-2/6-2
Montreal 2nd Rd. - Marketa Vondrousova def. Caroline Wozniacki 6-2/7-5
...did someone day "comeback?"

In her first outing in 44 months (and two kids) since a pre-pandemic Australian Open 3rd Round loss to Ons Jabeur in 2020, Wozniacki makes it look routine.



She didn't win her 2nd Round match, falling to Wimbledon champ Vondrousova 6-2/7-5, but only after the Dane pushed the Czech mid-way into the 2nd set, reaching BP at 3-3 before Vondrousova gathered herself and righted the proverbial ship.

In Cincinnati, the 1st Round features a match-up between Wozniacki and fellow comeback mother Elina Svitolina.
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8. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Danielle Collins def. Maria Sakkari
...6-4/6-2. So, where were all the calls for Sakkari to be banned? That's what I want to know.

Instead, many people whined and complained about Collins' language while giving a pass (again) to Sakkari, this time for needlessly hitting a ball into the stands after a fault. Of course, Sakkari also sometimes like to yell into people's faces after a point, but will complain when an opponent yells "in her direction" after a point.

Here's a brilliant concept: both *could* have gotten a code warning. Sakkari *definitely* should have.

Maybe the new WTA theme should be, "Are You Not Entertained?"
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9. Montreal QF - Jessie Pegula def. Coco Gauff
...6-2/5-7/7-5. Pegula cools off the very hot Coco, who'd won twelve consecutive sets. Gauff's serve (and some ill-timed UE) let her down late, as she DF'd twice on BP in the 3rd, both early and then late after she'd gotten the set back on serve. A game later, Pegula served out the win.
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10. Grodzisk 125 Final - Dayana Yastremska def. Greet Minnen
...2-6/6-1/6-3. Though she lost here, Minnen has been burning up the courts in '23 in the levels below the WTA tour.

Even with this loss, she's 45-15 on the year, with two 125 finals (0-2) and four on the ITF level (2-2, including a $100K RU).

Minnen will return to the Top 100 this coming week for the first time in a year. She started the season at #225 after having endured a 4-16 stretch (w/ 2 retirements and another walkover) from February to September in '22. Her career high is #69 in October '21.
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11. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Marie Bouzkova def. Caroline Garcia
...6-4/4-6/6-2. Bouzkova is 4-0 in her series with Garcia, but the other three matches were all on grass, including at Wimbledon the last two years.

Garcia's 42 winners were undone by 49 UE.


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12. Montreal Q2 - Danielle Collins def. Emina Bektas
...7-5/6-7(10)/7-5. After just one break of serve over the first two sets, there were six in twelve games in the 3rd.

Collins held four MP in the 2nd set TB, but Bektas claimed a 12-10 win, then led 5-3 in the deciding 3rd. She served for the win at 5-4, but Collins broke Bektas in her last two service games and advanced to the MD.
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13. Montreal Q2 - Camila Giorgi def. Ashlyn Krueger
...6-3/4-6/6-4. Giorgi qualifies for the MD, but she shouldn't have *had* to.

The Italian *should* have gotten a MD wild card and not have had to go through qualifying at all. She was the champion the last time the event was played in Montreal (2021), and '22 champ Simona Halep wasn't there (and continues to be scolded by the Alphabets for shining a light on their unprofessional actions).

Giorgi being brushed aside is a little like what happened with Halep when she won Wimbledon in '19, saw the tournament cancelled in '20, missed '21 with injury while Ash Barty won but was retired by summer '22... yet Halep didn't get the "returning champion" Day 2 Centre Court showcase that year that she'd missed out on in '20.

Because, you know... tradition. Like banning players from countries for things they have no control over.
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14. Montreal 1st Rd. - Anna Blinkova def. Zhang Shuai
...4-6/6-2/6-3.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
and now 16 losses in a row.

Zhang (finally) isn't in the draw in Cincinnati.
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15. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Alycia Parks
...6-3/5-7/6-4. Even in a loss, one of Parks' best results since her Lyon title run.

After losing a 3-1 2nd set lead (Bencic knotted the score at 5-5), Parks broke and served out the set. The Bannerette led 3-1 in the 3rd, but the Swiss claimed five of the final six games.

After this loss, Parks had gone 10-18 since Lyon. Three of the wins came in Montreal qualifying and in the 1st Round (over Lauren Davis).

This weekend in Cincinnati qualifying, Parks got a win over Vera Zvonareva, but lost in the final round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich via a 7-0 loss in a 3rd set TB.
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16. Montreal 1st Rd. - Camila Giorgi def. Bianca Andreescu
...6-3/6-2. A battle of former tournament champions, not from a decade ago but just four (Andreescu) and two (Giorgi) years past, with Giorgi having had to qualify for the MD.

Once again, Andreescu seemed to be struggling with *something* in the 2nd set. A few days later...


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17. Grodzisk 125 2nd Rd. - Tereza Martincova def. Darja Semenistaja
...4-6/7-5/6-3. The Czech rallies from 6-4/5-2 back, with Semenistija (a winner of four ITF titles in '23) twice serving for the match, getting to within 30/30 at 5-4.

The Latvian led 3-1 in the 3rd, and led love/40 on Martincova's serve for a 4-1 edge. She never got it, and Martincova swept the final five games.
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18. Cincinnati Q1: Alize Cornet def. Laura Siegemund
...3-6/7-6(6)/5-2 ret. After missing out on 7 BP chances in game 5, then two more in game 7, Siegemund retired two points from defeat (at love/30) in game 8.

I'm sure she was "feeling the love" on social media afterward.
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1. Montreal 1st Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Zhu Lin
...6-3/6-7(8)/6-2. Pliskova had lost three straight and seven of eight matches coming in (w/ the win coming via a retirement), and struggled to close out Zhu. The Czech had two MP in the 2nd set TB, but had to go three to get on the board for the first time since June (and *finished* off a match on a MP for the first time since April).
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2. Montreal 1st Rd. - Madison Keys def. Venus Williams
...6-2/7-5. In only their second match since meeting in the Montreal 3rd Round in 2016, Keys improves her record vs. Venus to 4-2, but only after Williams saved seven MP in game 10 of the 2nd after Keys had led 5-4, 40/15. She finally put the win away on MP #9 two games later.


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3. Montreal 2nd Rd. - Iga Swiatek def. Karolina Pliskova
...7-6(6)/6-2. A loss for Pliskova, but...



Since that love & love loss in Rome two years ago, the Czech has gone three sets vs. Iga on the clay in Stuttgart in April, and now this. Swiatek leads the series 3-0.
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4. Montreal Q1 - Lesia Tsurenko def. Bianca Fernandez 6-1/6-3
Montreal Q2 - Lesia Tsurenko def. Elli Mandlik 6-4/6-2
...Tsurenko made her way past a sister (Leylah's) and a daughter (Hana Mandlikova's), but couldn't post for the 1st Round and withdrew without playing another match.
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5. Montreal 1st Rd. - Latisha Chan/Yang Zhaoxuan def. Chan Hao-ching/Giuliana Olmos
...7-6(5)/7-5. After playing as a duo since February, the Chan sisters face off in the 1st Round.

Since they were last opponents on the doubles court -- in the Hua Hin semis in February, with Hao-ching coming out on top -- they'd gone 13-12 as a team, including reaching the Dubai final and Miami/Roland Garros QF.
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HM- $25K Roehampton ENG Final - Alex Eala def. Arina Rodionova
...6-2/6-3. Rodionova fails to win a second title in two weeks (and 5th in '23), while 18-year Filipina Eala improves to 4-1 in career ITF finals.

Eala defeated #1 seed Priscilla Hon in the QF, and #3 Arianne Hartono in the semis, before downing #2 Rodionova for the crown.
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I've low-key sort of wondered for a while why the stick was there in the net. I guess I thought maybe it was only for support. I guess THIS is why.



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Good, keep her up there.


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Who? Just like Roger who? Ash who? Serena who?

Tennis (and sports in general) is like the seasons. There's always another one coming right around the corner. Just enjoy particularly good weather while it's around, and wait for another nice day later. It'll come.






Anything involving Bill Cosby is "problematic" in 2023, of course. But "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids" was a great show for kids in its day.











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*2023 SLAM-WTAF/1000 CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Dubai - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
Indian Wells - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
Miami - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Madrid - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Rome - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
Roland Garros - Iga Swiatek, POL
Wimbledon - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
Canada - Jessie Pegula, USA
[doubles]
Australian Open - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
Dubai - Veronika Kudermetova/Liudmila Samsonova, RUS/RUS
Indian Wells - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
Miami - Coco Gauff/Jessie Pegula, USA/USA
Madrid - Victoria Azarenka/Beatriz Haddad Maia, BLR/BRA
Rome - Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens, AUS/BEL
Roland Garros - Hsieh Su-wei/Wang Xinyu, TPE/CHN
Wimbledon - Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
Canada - Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN/JPN

*2020-23 WINS OVER #1*
[2020]
Brisbane 2nd Rd. - #53 Jennifer Brady/USA def. #1 Barty
Aust. Open SF - #15 Sofia Kenin/USA def. #1 Barty (W)
Doha SF - #11 Petra Kvitova/CZE def. #1 Barty
[2021]
Aust.Open QF - #27 Karolina Muchova/CZE d. Barty
Adelaide 2nd Rd. - #37 Danielle Collins/USA d. Barty
Charleston QF - #71 Paula Badosa/ESP d. Barty
Madrid Final - #7 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR d. Barty (W)
Rome QF - #35 Coco Gauff/USA d. Barty (ret.)
Roland Garros 2r - #45 Magda Linette/POL d. Barty (ret.)
Olympics 1r - #48 Sara Sorribes Tormo/ESP d. Barty
U.S. Open 3r - #43 Shelby Rogers/USA d. Barty
[2022]
Wimbledon 3rd Rd. - #37 Alize Cornet/FRA d. Swiatek
Warsaw QF - #45 Caroline Garcia/FRA d. Swiatek (W)
Toronto 3rd Rd. - #24 Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA d. Swiatek
Cincinnati 3rd Rd. - #24 Madison Keys/USA d. Swiatek
Ostrava!!! F - #23 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE d. Swiatek (W)
WTA Finals SF - #7 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR d. Swiatek
[2023]
United Cup SF - #3 Jessie Pegula/USA d. Swiatek (W-USA)
Australian Open 4r - #25 Elena Rybakina/KAZ d. Swiatek
Dubai F - #30 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE d. Swiatek (W)
Indian Wells SF - #10 Elena Rybakina/KAZ def. Swiatek (W)
Madrid F - #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Swiatek (W)
Rome QF - #6 Elena Rybakina/KAZ def. Swiatek (W)
Wimbledon QF - #76 Elina Svitolina/UKR def. Swiatek
Montreal SF - #3 Jessie Pegula/USA def. Swiatek (W)
=
(W) - won title
-
LOSSES: 11-Barty, 14-Swiatek

*WTA #1 WINS (25) - 2020-23*
3 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
3 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
2 - JESSIE PEGULA, USA
1 - Paula Badosa, ESP
1 - Jennifer Brady, USA
1 - Danielle Collins, USA
1 - Alize Cornet, FRA
1 - Caroline Garcia, FRA
1 - Coco Gauff, USA
1 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
1 - Sofia Kenin, USA
1 - Madison Keys, USA
1 - Petra Kvitova, CZE
1 - Magda Linette, POL
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE
1 - Shelby Rogers, USA
1 - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
1 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
[wins-by-nation, 2020-23]
8 - USA
4 - CZE
3 - BLR,KAZ
2 - ESP,FRA
1 - BRA,POL,UKR
--
LOSSES: 11-Barty, 14-Swiatek

*CAREER #1 WINS - ACTIVE U.S. WOMEN*
15 - Venus Williams
3 - Sofia Kenin
3 - CoCo Vandeweghe
2 - JESSIE PEGULA
1 - Jennifer Brady
1 - Danielle Collins
1 - Coco Gauff
1 - Madison Keys
1 - Alison Riske-Amritraj
1 - Shelby Rogers

*MULTIPLE #1 WINS IN A SEASON - since 2010*
2010 (2) Samantha Stosur
2011 (2) Dominika Cibulkova, Julia Goerges, Vera Zvonareva
2012 (4) Serena Williams
2012 (2) Maria Sharapova
2013 - none w/ 2
2014 (3) - Alize Cornet
2015 - none w/ 2
2016 (2) - Elina Svitolina
2017 (3) - Elina Svitolina, Caroline Wozniacki
2017 (2) - Garbine Muguruza, CoCo Vandeweghe
2018 - none w/ 2
2019 (3) - Belinda Bencic; (2) Sonya Kenin
2020 - none w/ 2
2021 - none w/ 2
2022 - none w/ 2
2023 (3) - Elena Rybakina; (2) Jessie Pegula

*CAREER WTA TITLES - active*
[USA]
49 - Venus Williams (1998-16)
7 - Madison Keys (2014-23)
7 - Sloane Stephens (2015-22)
5 - Sofia Kenin (2019-20)
4 - Coco Gauff (2019-23)
3 - JESSIE PEGULA (2019-23)
3 - Alison Riske-Amritraj (2014-21)
2 - Amanda Anisimova (2019-22)
2 - Danielle Collins (2021)
2 - Lauren Davis (2017-23)
2 - Bernarda Pera (2022)
2 - CoCo Vandeweghe (2014-16)
1 - Jennifer Brady (2020)
1 - Ann Li (2021)
1 - Alycia Parks (2023)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
3 - Desirae Krawczyk, USA
3 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3 - Luisa Stefani, BRA
2 - SHUKO AOYAMA, JPN
2 - Coco Gauff, USA
2 - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE
2 - Diane Parry, FRA
2 - Jessie Pegula, USA
2 - Demi Schuurs, NED
2 - ENA SHIBAHARA, JPN
2 - Laura Siegemund, GER
2 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE
2 - Yana Sizikova, RUS
2 - Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
2 - Taylor Townsend, USA
[duos]
2...Aoyama/Shibahara, JPN/JPN
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 - SHUKO AOYAMA (1/5/0/2)
8 - Hsieh Su-wei (4/2/0/2)
8 - Desirae Krawczyk (2/2/1/3)
8 - Elise Mertens (1/4/2/1)
8 - ENA SHIBAHARA (1/5/0/2)
7 - Jessie Pegula (0/0/5/2)
7 - Demi Schuurs (2/2/1/2)
7 - Luisa Stefani (1/1/2/3)
[2020-23 - duos]
11..Krejcikova/Siniakova (1/5/3/2)
8...AOYAMA/SHIBAHARA (1/5/0/2)
5...Gauff/Pegula (0/0/3/2)
4...Hsieh/Strycova (4/0/0/0)
4...Siegemund/Zvonareva (1/0/2/1)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
5 (3-2) = DESIRAE KRAWCZYK, USA
4 (2-2) = SHUKO AOYAMA, JPN
4 (2-2) = Coco Gauff, USA
4 (2-2) = Jessie Pegula, USA
4 (2-2) = ENA SHIBAHARA, JPN
4 (2-2) = Katerina Siniakova, CZE
4 (2-2) = Taylor Townsend, USA
4 (1-3) = Storm Hunter, AUS
[2023 finals - duos]
4...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA (2-2)
3...AOYAMA/SHIBAHARA, JPN/JPN (2-1)
3...KRAWCZYK/SCHUURS, USA/NED (2-1)
2...Krejickova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE (2-0)
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)

*MOST WEEKS AT WTA SINGLES #1*
377 - Steffi Graf
332 - Martina Navratilova
319 - Serena Williams
260 - Chris Evert
209 - Martina Hingis
178 - Monica Seles
121 - Ash Barty
117 - Justine Henin
98 - Lindsay Davenport
72 - IGA SWIATEK (w/ wk. of Aug.14)
71 - Caroline Wozniacki
65 - Simona Halep
51 - Victoria Azarenka
[DOUBLES]
237 - Martina Navratilova
199 - Liezel Huber
163 - Cara Black
137 - Lisa Raymond
124 - Natasha Zvereva
111 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA (w/ wk. of Aug.14)
111 - Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario
110 - Roberta Vinci
91 - Sania Mirza

*RECENT ITF 14u FINALS*
2016 Ukraine d. United States
2017 United States d. Ukraine
2018 Russia d. Czech Republic
2019 Czech Republic d. United States
2020 DNP
2021 Russia d. Bulgaria
2022 Czech Republic d. Germany
2023 Czech Republic d. Germany

*2023 $100K ITF CHAMPIONS*
Oeiras, POR (rc) - Danka Kovinic/MNE
Charleston, USA (gc) - Emma Navarro/USA
Bonita Springs, USA (gc) - Kayla Day/USA
Wiesbaden, GER (rc) - Elina Avanesyan/RUS
Trnava, SVK (rc) - Yanina Wickmayer/BEL
Madrid, ESP (rc) - Olga Danilovic/SRB
Surbiton, ENG (gr) - Yanina Wickmayer/BEL (2)
Ilkley, ENG (gr) - Mirjam Bjorklund/SWE
Vitoria-Gasteiz, ESP (hc) - Daria Snigur/UKR
Granby, CAN (hc) - Kayla Day/USA (2)
Figueira da Foz, POR (hc) - Alina Korneeva/RUS
Maspalomas, ESP (rc) - Julia Grabher/AUT
Landisville, USA (hc) - Wang Xinyu/CHN





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Good. Then go.

I mean, we can find a way to deal with the "flight risk" aspect of it all later, not to mention the newly-minted generational hatred that'd be directed at us from the French for the next half-century or so.

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Bianca Andreescu on her way to the 2033 U.S. Open title?


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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 11:46 PM 

7 Comments:

Blogger colt13 said...

As highly ranked as Pegula is, she needed that win over Swiatek. Getting that big title doesn't hurt either.

Wozniacki looked good. Serve needs work, but the speed and defense were there.

Stat of the Week- 10- Career QF for Petra Cetkovska.

Since Cetkovska is staying relevant with the Czech juniors, why not look at Petra's career.

Known as injury prone, her career peaked in that 52 week block from June 2011-12. She reached 5 of her 10 career QF in that stretch, including her only career final in New Haven and her only other SF in Palermo.

Cetkovska went 36-21 in that stretch, with her ranking going from 81 to 25. Almost immediately after that stretch(2 events), she was injured and missed 10 months, never again reaching the heights she once did.

Quiz Time!

Which player won the extinct New Haven event the most times? Multiple answers accepted.

A.Caroline Wozniacki
B.Lindsay Davenport
C.Venus Williams
D.Petra Kvitova

Interlude- Cute kid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Z05wGvMOw

Answer!

I miss this event. For the 20 years they ran, they had a number of women who reached multiple finals.

(D)Kvitova is wrong. She reached 4 finals, doing so each year from 2012-15. But she lost to Halep in 2013, leaving her with only 3 titles.

(B)Davenport is also wrong. Continuing the theme, she is also a 4 time finalist, but she went 0-4, with 2 losses by retirement.

(C)Williams is correct. Winning in 4 consecutive years, the last in 2002, she is the only one to have won all 4 times in straight sets.

Out of retirement (A)Wozniacki is also correct. Another 4 time winner, she also did hers consecutively, beating Russians the first 3 years, and Petra Cetkovska for her last, which was in 2011.

Mon Aug 14, 04:20:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side- Joe Burrow Edition.

1.Keys- 2019 winner is one of 4(Garcia, Azarenka, Pliskova) in field. Always better in America, she leads a quality field. 6 of the last 10 Cinci winners have reached the USO SF in the same season. 2019 Keys did not.
2.Kvitova- Miami winner is 2022 RU. Being that CZE has had a contender at almost every GS/1000 this year, why not somebody who has already won in the US?
3.Brady- Recovering for back to back matches and events will be the goal, but her game looks really good. Her strokes are impressive, and her movement with all of the foot injuries, is good enough. Leaving Cincinnati healthy is the goal.
4.Stephens- The red flag here is that in 11 appearances in Cinci, she has only reached the QF once. That was in her dream season of 2017, and we all know what she did a couple of weeks later.
5.Stearns- Crosscourt queen gets WC here. With one or 2 wins here, could slip into the 3rd/4th rd fan favorite role at the Open.

Mon Aug 14, 04:33:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Kalinina- 3-7 since her career altering Rome final. Does look in better shape than she has been since that run.
2.Rybakina- Played Kalinina in that final, but on this list because she seems likely to pull out of Cincinnati. Montreal weather has her complaining about her shoulder, and even with a bye, pulling out for New York would be the prudent move.
3.Fernandez- I could just put Canada here. Lost in Q, so a week after having 9 players 3 MDWC/6 Q in Montreal, they end up with zero in MD. Dabrowski is in doubles. Also, 2 years out from one of the most enjoyable US Open runs, Raducanu is out; Fernandez doesn't look like a threat to reach the second week.
4.Frech- Lost in Q, but I am impressed at how she has grinded this season. Cincinnati is the 16th, I repeat 16th time that she has tried to qualify for a WTA event this year. She has done so 8 times, going 15-12 in Q.
5.Kostyuk- Has had a good year, only on this list because of her attitude. She can get in her own head, throwing away games because of frustration. Happens more when her serve is off.

Mon Aug 14, 04:44:00 AM EDT  
Blogger khan35 said...

If my memory serves correctly, last year at Guadalajara Pegula's finals opponent Sakkari had to play both SFs and final on the same day.

Who knows what would have happened if Samsonova wasn't fatigued.

In Cincy, Rybakina is in Iga's half in the draw. Will that match happen?

As far as big titles(majors and WTA 1000s) are concerned, since Roland Garros The field = 2; "Big 3" = 0 Will a "big 3" member win Cincy?

Mon Aug 14, 04:50:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Rybakina is totally fed up, and I'm here for it. I'm sure she's already being called a bad loser, among other things--I like to think that she doesn't care.

Mon Aug 14, 09:52:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

C-

"Wozniacki looked good. Serve needs work, but the speed and defense were there." (sounds very Caro, circa 2009-16) ;)

Quiz: well, at least I remembered Wozniacki winning it a bunch of times. Since you said multiple, I added Kvitova. :( (1/2)

Vid: Abby was having none of that! :)

Haha... as long as we don't have to call anything with the Open the "Aaron Rodgers Edition." ;)

Last year's U.S. Open was a rare one *without* a "Bannerette Breakout" contender/winner. Stearns would seem to be one of several early possibilities this year, though. (Ngounoue is in the U.S. MD, too, after winning the USTA 18s title.)

Sloane at least took out Garcia, so the Pastry takes the first of (maybe) 3 big points hits down the '23 stretch. -860 for this one.

By the way, I added (late) the clips of Rybakina and Samsonova speaking out -- Rybakina very forcefully, Samsonova sort of sadly, but truthfully -- about the Montreal scheduling (as they should have).

I still hold out hope that Fernandez could get hot with a good draw where she maybe gets an upsettable seed in the 1r/2r and takes her slot and maybe gets a Round of 16 result. It doesn't feel like she's been "bad" this year, just unable to string together wins. Maybe the NYC atmosphere/fans will give her a boost (hoping).


K-

I checked on the Guadalajara '22 schedule, and Sakkari *did* play her SF and Final on the same day, but only had to play the 2nd set of the SF (vs. Bouzkova) to finish off that match. So, technically, she played twice, but overall it was only three sets.


D-

I liked hearing Elena stand up for herself... especially since apparently no one else was going to do it.

(Iga did in Cincinnati, though.)

I was stunned -- well, not really anymore -- how little upset there was out there as far media members and/or former players about how badly the tournament/tour (or whoever decides these things) mangled things last week in the women's event.

Wed Aug 16, 12:19:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Some people probably think that Elena, Iga and Liudmila are incorrectly targeting the WTA but I think that they're right on point. Yes, it was the Montreal tournament that screwed everything up, but if the WTA isn't going to confront that (and the things that happened in Rome and Madrid, and other things), what's the point of the WTA?

Wed Aug 16, 11:01:00 AM EDT  

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