Sunday, September 17, 2023

Wk.37- The Good Ship Barbora

Barbora Krejcikova hangs two... as in titles in San Diego.






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*WEEK 37 CHAMPIONS*
SAN DIEGO CAL, USA (WTA 500/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE def. Sofia Kenin/USA 6-4/2-6/6-4
D: Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE/CZE) def. Danielle Collins/CoCo Vandeweghe (USA/USA) 6-1/6-4
OSAKA, JAPAN (WTA 250/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Ashlyn Krueger/USA def. Zhu Lin/CHN 6-3/7-6(6)
D: Anna-Lena Friedman/Nadiia Kichenok (GER/UKR) def. Anna Kalinskaya/Yulia Putintseva (RUS/KAZ) 7-6(3)/6-3
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP d. Zeynep Sonmez/TUR 6-3/7-6(6)
D: Amina Anshba/Quinn Gleason (RUS/USA) def. Freya Christie/Yuliana Lizarazo (GBR/COL) 6-3/6-4
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Astra Sharma/AUS def. Sara Errani/ITA 0-6/7-5/6-2
D: Angelica Moratelli/Camilla Rosatello (ITA/ITA) def. Valentini Grammatikopoulou/Anna Siskova (GRE/CZE) 7-5/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
...well, I guess when Krejcikova rights the ship, SHE RIGHTS THE SHIP. Or, in this case, *ships*.

After starting the 2023 season at 15-5, defeating the top three players in the world while winning in Dubai, the '21 Roland Garros champ was back in the discussion when it came to the players contending for big titles. But aside from a lone run to the Birmingham final, the Czech struggled through a mediocre-to-bad stretch from April through August, going 10-11, posting just one slam win in the year's final three majors and leaving New York having lost four straight (and 5 of 6), with her early-season success becoming harder and harder to recollect.

Worse yet, the slump carried over to Krejcikova's doubles partnership with Katerina Siniakova, as the two recorded just a single win in slam play after taking the AO crown in January, and were a virtual non-entity this summer.

*ALL* that changed in San Diego.

Opening with straight sets wins over Anhelina Kalinina and Beatriz Haddad Maia, Krejicikova outlasted Danielle Collins in three to reach her 11th career tour final (5 in the last 12 months). There, she won a back-and-forth affair with Sofia Kenin, staving off four BP at 4-4 and then closing out the title with a break of serve in the following game to pick up career title #7. The run will return Krejcikova to the singles Top 10 (doing sense a favor by finally knocking down "Example 1a" -- Caroline Garcia -- in the mythical running "WTA Top 10").



But Krejcikova wasn't finished, as she and Siniakova won the doubles title later in the day on Saturday. Krejcikova joins Nao Hibino (Prague) as the only players to sweep the s/d titles in an event this season.
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RISERS: Emma Navarro/USA and Zhu Lin/CHN
...the 2021 NCAA singles champ (Virginia), 22-year old Navarro reached her second tour SF (w/ Bad Homburg '23) in San Diego after making her way through qualifying and then posting MD wins over Jasmine Paolini, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Maria Sakkari (winning a 3rd set TB for her maiden "Top 10" victory). She lost in three sets to Sofia Kenin.

Navarro previously reached five ITF finals (3-2) in '23, and will now crack the Top 50 (#49) for the first time.

In Osaka, Zhu produced her fifth SF+ tour-level result of the season, reaching her second '23 final (Hua Hin title) with wins over both of the young Chinese Wangs (Xiyu in the 1st Rd., Xinyu in the SF), Momoka Uchijima and Elli Mandlik. Seeking her second WTA title, Zhu fell in straights in the final to Ashlyn Krueger, but she'll inch up two spots on Monday to #31, a new career high.


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SURPRISES: Mai Hontama/JPN, Marina Bassols Ribera/ESP and Zeynep Sonmez/TUR
...Hontama, 23, took her Osaka wild card and used it to play her way into her maiden tour-level semi, posting wins over Jang Su-jeong, Nadia Podoroska and Arianne Hartono before a loss to eventual champ Ashlyn Krueger.

Over the past year, Hontama has claimed her two biggest singles titles in $60K (November) and $40K (March) challengers. She'll climb 33 spots to #143 on Monday, with an eye on her previous career high of #126.



In Ljubljana (SLO), 23-year old Spaniard Bassols Ribera picked up her biggest career title, winning her first '23 singles title of any kind at the WTA 125 event.

Bassols Ribera had to survive her opening match of the week, seeing Lola Radivojevic serve for the match in the 3rd set. The Spaniard ultimately won a deciding TB, then didn't drop a set the rest of the way, ending things with a 6-0/7-6(2) victory in the final over Zeynep Sonmez.

She'll climb to a career high #112.



In the same Ljubljana 125, rising Turk Sonmez reached her biggest career final after posting straight sets upsets over Katarzyna Kawa and Tamara Zidansek before falling in two to Bassols Ribera.

The 21-year old will crack the Top 150 for the first time at #146, adding another milestone to a season that has already seen her made her Top 200 breakthrough, win her biggest title ($40K), and make her WTA MD (Rosmalen) and slam qualifying debuts (WI/US).

Sonmez's four-win week pushes her over 50 wins in a season for the first time in her career.


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VETERAN: Danielle Collins/USA
...Collins was a threat in both the singles *and* doubles draws in San Diego, reaching her second '23 semi (w/ Austin) after posting victories over Louisa Chirico, Alona Ostapenko (from 6-2/2-0 down, and 3-1 in the 3rd) and Caroline Garica, the latter her 12th career Top 10 win, garnered just under the wire as Barbora Krejcikova's title run (which included a win over Collins from a set down) finally moves the Pastry down to #11 on Monday.

Collins' other Top 10 win in '23 came vs. current #9 Maria Sakkari, *still* holding onto her own Top 10 standing seemingly against all rhyme and reason nine months into the season.

Teaming with CoCo Vandeweghe in the latter's final tournament, Collins also played into the doubles final (the second of her career, having won Charleston w/ Desirae Krawczyk earlier this year), but fell to Krejcikova/Siniakova.
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COMEBACKS: Sofia Kenin/USA and Astra Sharma/AUS
...so, was this the "first straw?"

Famously (or maybe infamously, in Kenin's case), Coco Gauff's 1st Round loss at Wimbledon to the former AO champ earlier this summer was "the last straw" that led the eventual U.S. Open winner to "see the light" and alter course by bringing in a new coaching team. One had to wonder how Kenin viewed all of this (and her "adjacent" role in it) from afar, but maybe we got a bit of a taste this week in San Diego as she reached her first tour final since Roland Garros in 2020.

Ranked #93, 90 spots below fellow Bannerette Gauff, Kenin strung together defeats of Veronika Kudermetova, Katie Volynets, Anastasia Potapova and Emma Navarro to reach her eighth career tour final. She then engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Barbora Krejcikova, with her inability to convert any of four BP chances at 4-4 in the 3rd proving to be the final pivot point as the Czech held serve and then broke Kenin to secure the title.

Kenin's last WTA title remains three and a half years in the rear view mirror (Lyon in March '20), but she'll be almost back in the Top 50 on Monday, jumping 40 spots to #53.



Meanwhile, Sharma is back in the Top 150 after taking home the WTA 125 title in Bucharest.

A former Vanderbilt product from Australia, Sharma has won a tour title (Charleston 250 in '21) and reached another final (Bogota RU '19), but after ranking as high as #90 in April of last year saw a quick fall once her title points fell away. By last summer, Sharma was in the #200s, and fell as low as #285.

She's gradually built her way back this season, reaching $40K and $60K finals this spring/summer. In Bucharest, arriving on a four-match losing streak (and w/ a #216 ranking) that had followed an 11-2 ITF summer run, Sharma battled through a pair of three-hour matches against Ana Bogdan (3:37) and Anna Bondar (3:03) that ended with 7-5 sets, defeated Jaqueline Cristian to reach her biggest final since April '21, then rallied from dropping a love 1st set to defeat Sara Errani 0-6/7-5/6-2 to claim the title.

32-16 on the year, Sharma will climb nearly 70 spots to #148.
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FRESH FACES: Ashlyn Krueger/USA and Wang Xinyu/CHN
...19-year old Krueger became the sixth different Bannerette to win a tour singles title in '23, and the ninth overall maiden WTA champion this season, with a week in Osaka that included wins over Kateryna Baindl, Jessika Ponchet, Anna Kalinskaya, Mai Hontama (in Krueger's first tour-level semi) and Zhu Lin in a 6-3/7-6 final.

Krueger won her first WTA 125 challenger in June, and will jump 50 spots on Monday, climbing in a shot from #123 to a new career high of #73.

Wang failed to reach the final in Osaka, falling in the semis (second of '23, third of her WTA career) to Zhu, but the 21-year old's week (fresh off her U.S. Open Round of 16) included wins over Jil Teichmann and Yulia Putintseva that will help lift her to a new career high ranking of #37.

Since the schedule turned from grass to summer/fall hard courts, Wang has gone 15-4.
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ITF PLAYER: Celine Naef/SUI
...Naef, 18, continues to post encouraging resuts in a year in which she's already won a pair of ITF titles, qualified at SW19 and collected tour-level victories over Venus Williams, Ashlyn Krueger and Dayana Yastremska.

In Le Neubourg, France, the Swiss teen won her biggest career title at the $80K challenger, taking a three-set final over Hordette Alina Korneeva. In the final set TB, Naef led 5-1, only to see Korneeva hold 2 MP at 6-5 and 7-6 before Naef swept the final three points to win 4-6/6-2/7-6(7) for career title #6.

She'll crack the Top 150 on Monday, climbing all the way to #125.


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DOUBLES: Barbora Krejickova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
...suddenly, all is right in Krejcikova's (and Siniakova's) world, as the San Diego singles champion followed up her Saturday afternoon solo title by finishing off another in doubles in the evening.

The Czechs came into San Diego having gone just 2-4 since winning Indian Wells (part of their 11-0 start to '23), with Siniakova's #1 WD ranking going away when they failed to defend their U.S. Open title. They stood just fifth in the WTA season Points Race. But they rallied to reel off four wins this past week, finishing with a 6-1/6-4 victory over Danielle Collins & CoCo Vandeweghe (the latter in her final tournament), to become the first team to win a third title in '23.

Having also won in Birmingham with Marta Kostyuk this summer, Krejickova's fourth WD crown puts her atop the tour's season standings, while lifting the pair to 3rd place in the live Race, *and* rocketing Siniakova *back* into the #1 ranking.


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WHEELCHAIR: Yui Kamiji/JPN
...Kamiji came up short yet again in a slam final vs. Diede de Groot in New York, but it didn't take long for her to get back into the winner's circle, taking a Series 2 title in Osaka against an all-Japanese field this weekend.

Her 6-1/6-2 win in the final over Manami Tanaka finished off a three-win week that improved her mark vs. non-de Groot competition to 42-1 in '23 (and 85-2 the last two seasons).
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1. San Diego 1st Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...7-6(3)/6-7(6)/7-5. Any time Latvian Thunder shows up you're liable to get a barn burner, and this one was another that just about took out the entire farm.

Ostapenko led 7-6/4-0, had a MP at 5-3, and served at 5-4 (love break). Soon Alexandrova held a SP at 6-5, but Ostapenko forced a TB. Knotted at 6-6, Alexadrova swept the final two points to win 8-6 and force a decider.

Cue other side of the coin.

In the 3rd, Alexandrova led 5-2 and twice served for the win, but Ostapenko swept the final five games, winning 13 of the last 14 points.

In the end, Ostapenko led the winners tally 53-48, while converting 7 of 21 BP to Alexandrova's 6 of 13.


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2. San Diego Final - Barbora Krejcikova def. Sofia Kenin
...6-4/2-6/6-4. Kenin's true shot came late, with a 15/40 lead at 4-4 in the 3rd. But Krejcikova buckled down and saved four BP in a 10+ minute game.

Predictably, the match then ended when *Krejcikova* was able to get the break a game later to close out her title run.


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3. San Diego 2nd Rd. - Danielle Collins def. Alona Ostapenko
...2-6/6-3/6-4. You knew *someone* would be roaring when this one was over.

After prevailing in a crazy one over Alexandrova, Ostapenko let a 6-2/2-0 lead -- and 3-1 edge in the 3rd -- slip away here as Collins was on her way to her biggest SF since her SF in San Diego *last* year.


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4. Bucharest 125 1st Rd. - Ana Bogdan def. Nuria Brancaccio
...5-7/7-5/6-3. Brancaccio led 7-5/5-2, and twice served for the match, including up 5-4, 40/love with three MP. At 5-5, Brancaccio led 15/40 on Bogdan's serve, but the Romanian saved three BP and took a 7-5 set. The Italian led 3-1 in the 3rd, as well, but Bogdan swept the final five games.

After surviving here, Bogdan was ousted a round later in 3:37 by Astra Sharma via a 7-5 3rd set. Oh, well.
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5. Osaka Final - Ashlyn Krueger def. Zhu Lin
...6-3/7-6(6). Krueger is the 11th teenage singles finalist on tour in '23, and the eighth to be crowned champ (the fourth not named Coco).


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6. Bucharest 125 Final - Astra Sharma def. Sara Errani
...0-6/7-5/6-2. Errani, at 36 and albeit at a lower level than earlier in her career, proves that there *is* tennis life after war with the Alphabets (2017-18).

Though the Italian's last WTA title came in 2016, she's since won two 125 crowns in five finals (2 RU in '23). Errani won a $60K title in March, and was ranked as high as #69 in June. Her February-through-July Top 100 stretch was her first since 2018. She'll be #104 on Monday.


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7. San Diego Final - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova def. Danielle Collins/CoCo Vandeweghe
...6-1/6-4. Collins/Vandeweghe won three straight MTB to reach the final in Vandeweghe's career send-off.

Vandeweghe, Kathy Rinaldi's first MVP as the U.S. Fed Cup captain, has interviewed to replace her to head the BJK Cup squad.
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8. Ljubljana 125 1st Rd. - Marina Bassols Ribera def. Lola Radivojevic
...1-6/6-1/7-6(5). Bassols Ribera's title run nearly ran off the tracks at the first stop, as Radivojevic served for the match at 6-5 in the 3rd before the Spaniard won a deciding TB.
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9. Bucharest 125 Final - Angelica Moratelli/Camilla Rosatello def. Valentini Grammatikopoulou/Anna Siskova
...7-5/6-4. The Italians, tour-level RU in Palermo this year, win their biggest title. Both will crack the doubles Top 100 this week.

Moratelli/Rosatello have reached five ITF finals since May of last year, winning four titles, including a $60K earlier in '23.



Rosatello also qualified to reach the singles MD.
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10. Ljubljana 125 1st Rd. - Miriam Bulgaru def. Kaja Juvan
...6-4/6-3. Off her fifth career upset of a seeded player at a slam, and 3rd Round U.S. Open run, Juvan's attempt to rejoin the Top 100 (she arrived at #106) comes up short with a loss to the #201-ranked Romanian, whose SF run will result in a new career high rank of #183.



Juvan falls to #109.
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11. San Diego 2nd Rd. - Anastasia Potapova def. Ons Jabeur
...6-4/7-6(4). Where there's a will there's a way, but after Jabeur's draining Open run this was fairly predictable.


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12. San Diego QF - Danielle Collins def. Caroline Garcia
...6-2/6-3. Garcia notched a win over Sloane Stephens in SD, but still has yet to reach a SF since playing in the Monterrey final (her second in the early months of '23) in the first week of March.

She finally slips to #11 on Monday, ending a 53-week Top 10 run.
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13. San Diego QF - Emma Navarro def. Maria Sakkari
...6-4/0-6/7-6(4). Sakkari narrowly avoids another semifinal loss.
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14. San Diego 2nd Rd. - Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Belinda Bencic
...6-3/3-6/6-2. While the Swiss still ranks highly in many season stats, 2023 has been something of a tale of two seasons for Bencic. A 20-5 start -- with two titles, a third final and AO 4th Rd. -- has been followed by an 11-8 stretch with zero finals, a period propped up by a pair of slam Round of 16 runs (WI/US).
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15. Guangzhou Q1 - Ma Yexin def. Jil Teichmann
...6-2/4-6/6-2. After a loss to the #282-ranked Ma, Teichmann stands at 20-25 on the season. Her Q1 loss ties her worst result of the season, matching her one-and-done in U.S. Open qualifying last month.
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1. Osaka Final - Anna-Lena Friedsam/Nadiia Kichenok def. Anna Kalinskaya/Yulia Putintseva
...7-6(3)/6-3. Friedsam (career #4) and Kichenok (#9) win their maiden title as a pair in their second '23 final (Linz) appearance.
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2. Osaka 1st Rd. - Panna Udvardy def. Tatjana Maria
...2-6/6-4/7-6(5). Maria held two MP on Udvardy's serve at 6-5 in the 3rd, and led 5-1 in the deciding TB. The Hungarian swept the final six points of the match.


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3. $25K Leiria POR Final - Francisca Jorge/Matilde Jorge def. Sofia Costoulas/Jenny Duerst
...7-5/7-6(5). Portugal's Jorge sisters claim their 13th overall challenger title as a duo, improving to 5-5 in '23 finals.
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The latest...




A lot of predictability here as, finally, an actual ruling comes down -- albeit about 3-6 months later than anticipated -- and the 126-page report (sheesh, talk about justifying your existence) looks clearly stacked against Halep. Did anyone expect something other than that? I mean, it *is* sort of their job, right? Once Halep tested positive, the original agencies were *never* going to overturn any suspension. It was always going to come down to an appeal to an independent Alphabet (Court of Arbitration for Sport, aka CAS) for the final *final* ruling (and-this-time-we-mean-it).

Often, a four-year suspension (they actually tried to make it *six*) is cut to two, or maybe 18 months, with Halep already effectively having served close to a year since the original provisional suspension. Best case scenario, she has a *shot* to return late summer/early fall of '24? We'll see, but some wording in the current ruling has led some to wonder if the odds are stacked against her even for that.

If Halep's contention is true that the agency's doctors sided with her argument *until* her name was attached to the proceedings (then 2 of 3 changed their ruling), this *could* finally be the case that pulls the curtain back on the Alphabets' tactics. Hmmm. A martyr for justice for all?

As usual, the most "interesting" development in all this is the response from the outside, as the judge/jury/executioners man their social media posts with the certainty akin to the tides, then the Serena Cult weighs in about how "23" should magically be made into "24" based on a positive test three years after the slam final in question (you know, sort of how the Sharapova suspension magically "invalidated" a result from a *decade* earlier because somehow Williams was wronged by all the attention that Sharapova received). This time, though, the story's actors in question revealed themselves to be what has either always been known (in one case) or potentially expected (in the other).

Not a good look in either case. Not that it'll matter.



Then the apologists took their swing (the equivalent of "He meant to post 'Covfefe' -- I can't believe you don't know that!").



Others showed that they've learned nothing...



Some showed that, yes, they *can* think before they speak...



And others reminded us that this story has been played out over and over and over again over the years, with only the always-questionable "Watchers" the common denominator. But who watches the Watchers? Maybe we'll find out at the end of *this* one. But probably not. Halep, no matter the outcome, will always be a target of the usual suspects. It's just a matter of whether she'll get a chance to have a final Act on the court, in court, or off it.



To be continued...

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*2023 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
4 - Coco Gauff (Auckland/Washington/Cincinnati/US)
4 - Iga Swiatek (Doha/Stuttgart/Roland Garros/Warsaw)
3 - Aryna Sabalenka (Adelaide 1/Aust.Open/Madrid)
2 - Belinda Bencic (Adelaide 2/Abu Dhabi)
2 - BARBORA KREJCIKOVA (Dubai/San Diego)
2 - Petra Kvitova (Miami/Berlin)
2 - Elena Rybakina (Indian Wells/Rome)
[2020-23]
15 - 1/2/8/4 - Iga Swiatek
8 - 3/2/0/3 - Aryna Sabalenka
7 - 1/5/1/- - Ash Barty (ret.)
7 - 0/3/2/2 - BARBORA KREJCIKOVA
5 - 0/1/0/4 - Coco Gauff
5 - 3/0/2/0 - Simona Halep
5 - 0/4/1/0 - Anett Kontaveit (ret.)

*RECENT WTA S/D TITLE SWEEP IN EVENT*
[2019]
Nao Hibino, JPN [Hiroshima]
[2020]
Aryna Sabalenka, BLR [Ostrava!!!]
[2021]
Ash Barty, AUS [Stuttgart]
Coco Gauff, USA [Parma]
Barbora Krejcikova, CZE [Roland Garros]
[2022]
Ash Barty, AUS [Adelaide]
Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA [Nottingham]
[2023]
Nao Hibino, JPN [Prague]
Barbora Krejciova, CZE [San Diego]

*2023 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Zhu Lin, CHN - Hua Hin (29/#54)
Alycia Parks, USA - Lyon (22/#79)
Marta Kostyuk, UKR - Austin (20/#52)
Lucia Bronzetti, ITA - Rabat (24/#102)
Katie Boulter, GBR - Nottingham (26/#126)
Maria Timofeeva, RUS - Budapest (19/#246)
Zheng Qinwen, CHN - Palermo (20/#26)
Arantxa Rus, NED - Hamburg (32/#60)
Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA - Lausanne (22/#42)
ASHLYN KRUEGER, USA - Osaka (19/#123)

*2023 YOUNGEST WTA FINALISTS*
18 - Linda Noskova, CZE (Adelaide 1 - L)
18 - Coco Gauff, USA (Auckland - W)
18 - Linda Noskova, CZE (Prague - L)
19 - Maria Timofeeva, RUS (Budapest - W)
19 - Noma Noha Akugue, GER (Hamburg - L)
19 - ASHLYN KRUEGER, USA (Osaka - W)
19 - Coco Gauff, USA (Washington - W)
19 - Coco Gauff, USA (Cincinnati - W)
19 - Coco Gauff, USA (US Open - W)
20 - Zheng Qinwen, CHN (Palermo - W)
20 - Marta Kostyuk, UKR (Austin - W)

*2023 LOW-RANKED WTA TITLE WINNERS*
#508 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (Strasbourg, d. Blinkova)
#246 - Maria Timofeeva, RUS (Budapest, d. Baindl)
#136 - Nao Hibino, JPN (Prague, d. Noskova)
#126 - Katie Boulter, GBR (Nottingham, d. Burrage)
#123 - ASHLYN KRUEGER, USA (Osaka, d. Zhu)
#102 - Lucia Bronzetti, ITA (Rabat, d. Grabher)

*U.S. WOMAN WINS MAIDEN WTA TITLE - since 1998*
1998: Venus Williams (Memphis)
1998: Tara Snyder (Quebec City)
1999: Serena Williams (Paris Indoors)
1999: Corina Morariu (Bol)
2000: Meghann Shaughnessy (Shanghai)
2001: Meilen Tu (Auckland)
2002: Jill Craybas (Tokyo JO)
2006: Vania King (Bangkok)
2012: Melanie Oudin (Birmingham)
2014: Madison Keys (Eastbourne)
2014: CoCo Vandeweghe (Rosmalen)
2014: Alison Riske (Tianjin)
2015: Sloane Stephens (Washington)
2016: Irina Falconi (Bogota)
2016: Christina McHale (Tokyo JWO)
2017: Lauren Davis (Auckland)
2019: Sofia Kenin (Hobart)
2019: Amanda Anisimova (Bogota)
2019: Jessica Pegula (Washington)
2019: Coco Gauff (Linz)
2020: Jennifer Brady (Lexington)
2021: Danielle Collins (Palermo)
2021: Ann Li (Tenerife)
2022: Bernarda Pera (Budapest)
2023: Alycia Parks (Lyon)
2023: Ashlyn Krueger (Osaka)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
4 - BARBORA KREJCIKOVA, CZE
3 - Desirae Krawczyk, USA
3 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA, CZE
3 - Luisa Stefani, BRA
3 - Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
3 - Taylor Townsend, USA
[duos]
3...KREJCIKOVA/SINIAKOVA, CZE/CZE
2...Aoyama/Shibahara, JPN/JPN
2...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA
2...Kato/Sutjiadi, JPN/INA
2...Krawczyk/Schuurs, USA/NED
[2020-23 - individuals]
16 - KATERINIA SINIAKOVA (1/6/6/3)
13 - BARBORA KREJCIKOVA (1/5/3/4)
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)
[2020-23 - duos]
12..KREJCIKOVA/SINIAKOVA (1/5/3/3)
8...Aoyama/Shibahara (1/5/0/2)
5...Gauff/Pegula (0/0/3/2)
5...Hsieh/Strycova (4/0/-/1)
4...Siegemund/Zvonareva (1/0/2/1)

*MOST DIFF. #1's IN A SEASON (CAPS: 1st-time #1)*
1975: 1 = EVERT
1976: 2 = Evert-GOOLAGONG
1977: 1 = Evert
1978: 2 = Evert-NAVRATILOVA
1979: 2 = Navratilova-Evert
1980: 3 = Navratilova-AUSTIN-Evert
1981: 1 = Evert
1982: 2 = Evert-Navratilova
1983: 1 = Navratilova
1984: 1 = Navratilova
1985: 2 = Navratilova-Evert
1986: 1 = Navratilova
1987: 2 = Navratilova-GRAF
1988: 1 = Graf
1989: 1 = Graf
1990: 1 = Graf
1991: 2 = Graf-SELES
1992: 1 = Seles
1993: 2 = Seles-Graf
1994: 1 = Graf
1995: 3 = SANCHEZ VICARIO-Graf-Seles
1996: 2 = Graf-Seles
1997: 2 = Graf-HINGIS
1998: 2 = Hingis-DAVENPORT
1999: 2 = Davenport-Hingis
2000: 2 = Hingis-Davenport
2001: 3 = Hingis-CAPRIATI-Davenport
2002: 4 = Davenport-Capriati-V.WILLIAMS-S.WILLIAMS
2003: 3 = S.Williams-Clijsters-HENIN
2004: 3 = Henin-MAURESMO-Davenport
2005: 2 = Davenport-SHARAPOVA
2006: 4 = Davenport-Clijsters-Mauresmo-Henin
2007: 2 = Henin-Sharapova
2008: 5 = Henin-Sharapova-IVANOVIC-JANKOVIC-S.Williams
2009: 3 = Jankovic-S.Williams-SAFINA
2010: 2 = S.Williams-WOZNIACKI
2011: 2 = Wozniacki-Clijsters
2012: 3 = Wozniacki-AZARENKA-Sharapova
2013: 2 = Azarenka-S.Williams
2014: 1 = S.Williams
2015: 1 = S.Williams
2016: 2 = S.Williams-KERBER
2017: 5 = Kerber-S.Williams-KA.PLISKOVA-MUGURUZA-HALEP
2018: 1 = Halep-Wozniacki
2019: 3 = Halep-OSAKA-BARTY
2020: 1 = Barty
2021: 1 = Barty
2022: 2 = Barty-SWIATEK
2023: 2 = Swiatek-SABALENKA

*MOST DIFF. WD #1's IN A SEASON (CAPS: 1st-time #1)*
1984: 1 = NAVRATILOVA
1985: 2 = Navratilova-SHRIVER
1986: 2 = Shriver-Navratilova
1987: 1 = Navratilova
1988: 1 = Navratilova
1989: 1 = Navratilova
1990: 3 = Navratilova-SUKOVA-NOVOTNA
1991: 4 = Sukova-Novotna-G.FERNANDEZ-ZVEREVA
1992: 5 = Novotna-NEILAND-Zvereva-SANCHEZ VICARIO-Sukova
1993: 3 = Sukova-Zvereva-G.Fernandez
1994: 2 = G.Ferandez-Zvereva
1995: 3 = Zvereva-Sanchez Vicario-G.Fernandez
1996: 1 = Sanchez Vicario
1997: 3 = Sanchez Vicario-Zvereva-DAVENPORT
1998: 4 = Zvereva-Davenport-HINGIS-Novotna
1999: 5 = Zvereva-Novotna-Hingis-Davenport-KOURNIKOVA
2000: 8 = Kournikova-Hingis-Davenport-MORARIU-RAYMOND-STUBBS-HALARD DECUGIS-SUGIYAMA
2001: 2 = Sugiyama-Raymond
2002: 2 = Raymond-SUAREZ
2003: 4 = Suarez-CLIJSTERS-Sugiyama-RUANO PASCUAL
2004: 2 = Suarez-Ruano Pascual
2005: 2 = Ruano Pascual-C.BLACK
2006: 3 = C.Black-STOSUR-Raymond
2007: 4 = Stosur-Raymond-C.Black-L.HUBER
2008: 2 = C.Black-L.Huber
2009: 2 = C.Black-L.Huber
2010: 5 = C.Black-L.Huber-S.WILLIAMS-V.WILLIAMS-DULKO
2011: 5 = Dulko-PENNETTA-PESCHKE-SREBOTNIK-L.Huber
2012: 4 = L.Huber-Raymond-ERRANI-VINCI
2013: 2 = Vinci-Errani
2014: 4 = Errani-Vinci-PENG-HSIEH
2015: 3 = Errani-Vinci-MIRZA
2016: 2 = Mirza-Hingis
2017: 5 = Mirza-MATTEK SANDS-SAFAROVA-Hingis-L.CHAN
2018: 7 = Hingis-L.Chan-MAKAROVA-VESNINA-BABOS-KREJCIKOVA-SINIAKOVA
2019: 4 = Krejcikova-Siniakova-MLADENOVIC-STRYCOVA
2020: 3 = Strycova-Hsieh-Mladenovic
2021: 6 = Hsieh-SABALENKA-MERTENS-Mladenovic-Krejcikova-Siniakova
2022: 3 = Siniakova-Mertens-GAUFF
2023: 3 = Siniakova-Gauff-PEGULA





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Yep, still weird to see Magic say "my..."




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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 10:39 PM 

5 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

Pegula's reign at #1 lasted only 1 week. Hahahaha

I thought Krejcikova was done for the season. She surprised me with this title.

You didn't find anyone for "Down" category?

Now-a-days everyone is doping. You are only innocent if you don't get caught

Mon Sep 18, 04:36:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Vandeweghe went full circle. First main draw was the old San Diego event in 2006.

San Diego would have been Kenin's 6th title, but only her second since her 2020 AO title.

Cornet is also boycotting China.

Stat of the Week- 24- Career titles for Simona Halep.

Is this the end? I don't know, but most times, a player with a forced break isn't the same when they come back. Add a series of back issues, and there is no guarantee.

So why not celebrate someone who reached #1, won 3 slams, reached the WTA finals, and was a threat at every big event.

Since this isn't baseball, Halep is still a probable Hall of Famer. When you are among the best for a decade, you will be considered.

Quiz Time!

True or false: Did Simona Halep ever win a tournament in Romania?

Interlude- You get what you ask for.
https://twitter.com/TheFigen_/status/1700136906640793814

Answer!

True, although she lost the Transylvania final, she won Bucharest twice.

Mon Sep 18, 06:51:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side- Sombrero Edition.

1.Masarova- Guangzhou pick is an Auckland finalist having a career year. 3 Top 30 wins show she may be the class of this field.
2.Stephens- Guadalajara pick has won twice in Mexico. Red flag is that she has not been in a 1000 final since Canada 2018.
3.Dart- Has a good draw in Guangzhou. All 4 QF have been on grass, so this week may be something new.
4.Keys- 2016 is the only season with a better winning percentage than this one. Kayla Day is her only bad loss. WTAF incoming?
5.Schuurs- Already lost, but checks off her bucket list. Doubles specialist picked up her first singles qualifying win since 2015, making a WTA singles main draw for the first time.

Mon Sep 18, 06:56:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.L.Fruhvirtova- Hit the rookie wall. Has lost 10 in a row, on a 2-11 run at WTA level. Plus Chennai points came off, so sitting at 117, which means ITF play in November to make AO draw.
2.Linette- Zhu played well at AO, slumped, then picked it up again. Can Linette? Had 3 Top 20 wins at AO, 1 rest of season(Miami). Last QF was Merida.
3.Mladenovic- Ate a bagel vs Busca, first time since Wang Qiang fed her won in Tokyo back in 2017. Has not has MD win in singles since Seoul 2022, which is one year ago this week.
4.Teichmann- On 3-13 MD run, has not had back to back main draw wins since IW. What happened?
5.Olmos- Won Tokyo this week last year. Since then, she has gone 32-26 with 11 different partners. H.Chan has played with her for the last 5, but with Chan/Olmos 29th in the race, it is likely Olmos will miss the YEC for the first time since 2019.

Mon Sep 18, 07:04:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

K-

Some other surprisingly short # of weeks-at-#1 totals:

WS: 4-Muguruza, 11-Venus, 12-Ivanovic
WD: 3-Stubbs, 5-Makarova/Vesnina, 8-Williams/Williams
MS: 1-Rafter, 2-Moya

I considered a few people for the Down -- Juvan, Bencic, Pliskova, Jabeur, Niemeier and Shnaider -- and *almost* went with Bencic, but since it was the week after a slam and bad results almost feel like a clearing-of-the-throat I didn't think any really rose to the level of being singled out. (Now if Bouchard had lost her 1r match in Guadalajara...) ;)


C-

As far as the WTA goes, I guess Cornet qualifies as something akin to those people they'd find living in the jungle in Vietnam 25 years after the war ended who believed that it was still going on.

Quiz: unfortunately I saw the answer when I moved down to the video, so I never even had the chance to think about it. :/

Wow, I knew Fruhvirtova had hit a bad spot but didn't realize she'd gone that long w/o a win. She's won multiple matches in an event once (Birm.) since the AO.

At the very least, LF is a legit qualifier for Down *this* week. Bouchard *did* lose her 2nd Rounder today, though (but went 3 vs. Kudermetova).

* - BTW, I fixed the Collins/Ostapenko scoreline in Matches. I hadn't changed it from the previous match score I'd used in that spot in the template. (At least the tweet has the correct set score totals.)



Mon Sep 18, 11:13:00 PM EDT  

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