Sunday, October 29, 2023

Wk.43- Haddad Maia's Zhuhai High





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*WEEK 43 CHAMPIONS*
ELITE TROPHY; Zhuhai, CHN (Hard Court Indoor)
S: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA def. Zheng Qinwen/CHN 7-6(11)/7-6(4)
D: Beatriz Haddad Maia/Veronika Kudermetova (BRA/RUS) def. Miyu Kato/Aldila Sutjiadi (JPN/INA) 6-3/6-3
TAMPICO, MEXICO (WTA 125/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Emina Bektas/USA def. Anna Kalinskaya/RUS 6-3/3-6/7-6(3)
D: Kamilla Rakhimova/Anastasia Tikhonova (RUS/RUS) def. Sabrina Santamaria/Heather Watson (USA/GBR) 7-6(5)/6-2
PAN AMERICAN GAMES (Santiago, CHI; Red Clay)
S: Laura Pigossi/BRA def. Maria Carle/ARG 6-2/6-3 (Bronze: Julia Riera/ARG)
D: Laura Pigossi/Luisa Stefani (BRA) def. Maria Fernanda Herazo Gonzalez/Maria Paulina Perez-Garcia (CHI) 7-5/6-3 (Bronze: Maria Carle/Julia Riera, ARG
M: Yuliana Lizarazo/Nicolas Barrientos (COL) def. Luisa Stefani/Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) 6-3/6-4 (Bronze: Martina Capurro Taborda/Facundo Diaz Acosta, ARG)




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...the Brazilian never dropped a set all week at the Elite Trophy tournament in Zhuhai, in singles *or* doubles, as she became the first player to sweep both titles at any of the versions of the tour's *secondary* season-ending event.

Wins over Madison Keys and Caroline Garcia, the latter a face-off for a semifinal berth, claimed the group title for Haddad Maia. She then handled Dasha Kastakina in two, reaching her first tour final since her three-final run in the summer of last year (wins in Nottingham and Birmingham, then a RU in Toronto), and squeezed out two tie-break wins in the final over Zheng Qinwen to claim the title, the third of her WTA career.



She then claimed the doubles alongside Veronika Kudermetova, becoming just the third of seven two-fer finalists this season to take home both trophies. Haddad Maia also swept the s/d crowns in Nottingham last year.

Haddad Maia climbs eight spots to #11, one off her career high from June. It assures her of her best season-ending ranking, topping last year's #15 finish.


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RISERS: Zhu Lin/CHN and Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
...Zhu started '23 by putting up surprising results, opening the year at 13-4 while reaching the Auckland QF, Australian Open Round of 16 and winning her maiden tour title in Hua Hin.

After a hit-and-mostly-miss middle part (5-12) of the season, the 29-year old went 10-8 (+4-1 in the Asian Games) in her final stretch, playing in the Cleveland SF, winning two MD matches at the U.S. Open, claiming Asian Games Silver and reaching the Osaka final.

Added to the Elite Trophy field as a wild card, as the world #37, Zhu posted a round robin win over Veronika Kuderemetova. She lost in three to Liudmila Samsonva, but reached the semis when Kudermetova rallied to defeat Samsonova to tie all three women at 1-2 in group play. Just weeks after losing 6-2/6-4 to her in the Asian Games Gold medal match, Zhu fell again to Zheng Qinwen in a three-set SF.

The finish gives Zhu six tour-level SF+ results this season. She'd come into '23 with just two in her career, with the last comng in 2018.



2023 has been a topsy-turvy season on the court for Kasatkina, as she failed to win a title (after claiming two each in 2021 and '22) and dealt with the UKR/RUS handshake mess (thanks, WTA) and an idiotic Parisian crowd (per usual), but still put together a mostly-consistent campaign in which she reached two finals and ended her WTA season with a 2-0 round robin mark (including a win over Barbora Krejcikova) at the Elite Trophy event in Zhuhai to reach her fifth semfinal of the season. She fell to Beatriz Haddad Maia.

For Kasatkina, even though she went title-less in '23, keeping her head well above water is an accomplishment. She won't repeat her Top 10 season of a year ago, but will remain in the Top 20. After her previous Top 10 campaign in '18, the Russian tailed off badly the next two seasons, reaching just one *combined* semifinal in 2019-20 and fell as low as #75 before rebounding in '21 (w/ a #26 year-end ranking).

2023 will be just the third Top 20 finish of her career, and the first when she didn't also finish inside the Top 10.


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SURPRISE: Laura Pigossi/BRA
...on the same weekend in which Haddad Maia swept the s/d titles in Zhuhai, her Brazilian countrywoman did the same in Santiago, becoming the first woman to sweep the singles and doubles Golds at the Pan American Games since 1991 (Pam Shriver, who also won MX Gold in Havana that year).

The #1 seed in the singles event, Pigossi saved a MP in the 3rd Round against young Peruvian Lucciana Perez Alarcon, then outlasted Julia Riera in a 3rd set TB in the SF. After having already won doubles Gold alongside Luisa Stefani, Pigossi then doubled-up on the hardware by defeating Maria Carle 6-2/6-3 to become the first Brazilian to win the women's singles since 1987 (Gisele Miro) and just the third (w/ Maria Bueno '63) to ever do it.

Not only does Pigossi get the memory and the shiny keepsake, but she also wraps up an Olympic singles berth next summer in Paris. In her Olympic debut in '21, Pigossi teamed with Stefani to win the doubles Bronze in Tokyo (saving 8 total MP along the way).


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VETERAN: Emina Bektas/USA
...after rising as high as #188 in 2022, Bektas (ex-Michigan, 2011-15) finished last year at #360. Over the course of this season, the 30-year old has gradually climbed the ranking ladder, winning a pair of ITF titles ($25K, $60K), and recording at least two match wins in 15 of 21 events heading into Week 43 as she edged closer to the Top 100. Two weeks ago, she reached her maiden tour-level semi in Seoul.

At the WTA 125 event in Tampico (MEX), the Bannerette posted wins over Renata Zarazua, Ajla Tomljanovic (rallying from 0-3 in the 3rd), Caroline Dolehide and Kamilla Rakhimova to reach the biggest final of her pro career.

Early in the evening on Sunday, Bektas completed her best-ever week with a 6-3/3-6/7-6(3) win in the final over Anna Kalinskaya, topping her previous biggest title (an $80K in 2017, which included a 1st Round win over an 18-year old Sofia Kenin) and securing her first trip into the WTA Top 100.


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COMEBACK: Anna Kalinskaya/RUS
...constantly slowed by injury, Kalinskaya has rarely had the opportunity (sometimes even in *events* when she gets a big win) to string good results together and gather any sort of momentum. With the season winding down (though there are any number of ITF challengers and WTA 125 events taking place through mid-December, should she choose to enter them), Kalinskaya's body and game held together well enough for her to post her best result in years this week.

In the 125 in Tapico, Mexico, the Hordette not only recorded her first SF run of this season but her first singles final on any level since May 2019, as well as the biggest of her career (she played in a pair of $60K finals in 2018-19).

After a win over Katie Volynets put her into the final, she battled Emina Bektas for three sets, finally losing a 7-3 3rd set TB.

After reaching her career high of #51 in September of last year, Kalinskaya will climb from #115 to back inside the Top 100 on Monday.


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FRESH FACES: Zheng Qinwen/CHN and the young Argentines (Maria Carle and Julia Riera)
...Zheng extended her great late-season momentum, but came up just short of a season-closing title on Chinese soil.

The 21-year old came into '23 with a heap of high expectations, and over the first half of the year had come up a bit short. Though she'd put up one SF (Abu Dhabi) and 1000 QF (Rome) and 4th Round (Miami) results, she was just staying ahead of .500 at 17-13. But after going 0-3 during the grass season, Zheng went on a 25-6 run (w/ the Asian Games; 20-6 in tour events) over the back half of the season, including a 13-2 finish since the U.S. Open.

After winning Asian Games Gold, Zheng took her maiden tour title in Zhengzhou. In the Elite Trophy, Zheng again showed well in front of the Chinese fans, winning three consecutive three-setters while going 2-0 in round robin play (def. Donna Vekic and Alona Ostapenko) and then outlasting Zhu Lin (her Asian Games final opponent) in the semis to reach the final and extend her winning streak to 8.

Against Beatriz Haddad Maia, Zheng held two SP in the 1st set TB, and rallied from 5-3 in the 2nd to force another TB, but dropped both to the Brazilian. She'll move to a career-high #15 on Monday, and will once again find herself with (even more elevated) high expectations heading into '24 as she tries to become the first Chinese woman to reach the Top 10 since Hall of Famer Li Na.



In Santiago, along with Pigossi (and Haddad Maia in Zhuhai), young Argentines Carle and Riera continued the weekend's South American theme in singles, filling out the bottom two steps on the Pan American Games' medal stand.

23-year old Carle, the ARG #2 behind Nadia Podoroska (the Pan American singles Gold winner in '19), posted wins over Carolina Alves and Rebecca Marino (SF) to reach the Gold Medal match. She lost 2 & 3 to Pigossi, but added a Silver medal in singles to the doubles Bronze she'd won a day earlier.

Carle has won three ITF challenger crowns in '23.

2023 has been a breakout season for 21-year old Riera (ARG #3), who this year has made her Top 150 debut, won a pair of ITF crowns, and reached the SF in her maiden tour MD event in Rabat. In her first Pan American Games, the Argentine (#4 seed) won a pair of Bronze medals.

In singles, after losing a 3rd set TB to Laura Pigossi in the semis, she defeated Rebecca Marino in three sets to claim Bronze. Riera had already teamed with Carle to win Bronze in doubles, defeating Chile's Alexa Guarachi & Fernanda Labrana in the 3rd Place match a day earlier.


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DOWN: Madison Keys/USA
...as has generally been the case over the course of Keys' career, one great spurt of play with at least one very good result doesn't mean that she's going to suddenly be an (almost) every week threat. In fact, it often means she drops so far off the radar that what she *did* do sort of gets lost in the out-of-sight-out-of-mind haze.

This fall's example has been her follow-up to her U.S. Open semifinal run, another burst in a big event that fell a bit short but managed to keep her just on the outer edge of the tour's "top tier" even while failing to be a building block for something more. Keys dropped both of her Elite Trophy round robin matches in Zhuhai, falling to Beatriz Haddad Maia and Caroline Garcia in straights to become the first player in the 12-strong (4-group) field to be eliminated. She actually managed to do it before two players -- Ostapenko and Samsonova -- had even played their *first* match.

Keys has yet to win a match since the U.S. Open, going 0-3. At #11, it appears as if she won't repeat her Top 10 ranking from a year ago, but *will* end in the Top 20 for the eighth time in nine years. Again, unable to overlook, but still just on the outside of "Center Court."

This doesn't appear to end Keys' season. While she's set to be the second alternate at the WTAF (she was an alternate in '22, but didn't play) in Cancun this coming week, she's also scheduled to be part of Kathy Rinaldi's final squad as U.S. captain at the BJK Cup finals the week after that in Seville, Spain.

Truthfully, if Rinaldi ends up putting any sort of load on Keys' shoulders on the week, at the end of a season in which *so many* Bannerettes had breakout campaigns and had seemingly earned a look as a potential team member, I suppose nothing could speak more to Rinaldi's time in the top spot having rightfully reached its end.

Granted, the week-after-the-WTAF positioning doesn't do roster-building for the BJK Finals any favors, of course. Asking WTAF competitors Coco Gauff and Jessie Pegula -- or any of the top players who'll be in Mexico -- to make yet another continental jump for Cup play is a dicey proposition at the end of an almost 11-month season. But the U.S. roster currently doesn't include *any* of 2023's would-be future Cup stars (from a group that includes the seems-perfectly-suited-for-team-play Peyton Stearns to Ashlyn Krueger, Kayla Day and Caroline Dolehide), and instead sports Keys alongside Danielle Collins, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin. Other than Kenin, none have been in particularly good form in the 4Q, though Collins *did* reach the San Diego SF. The lone *inspired* roster addition -- i.e. the last "Rinaldi-esque" move of the In Rinaldi We Trust(ed) era -- is Taylor Townsend.

It remains to be seen whether new captain Lindsay Davenport will have the imagination and "gut" instinct to build the foundation of a "next generation" group of consistent Bannerette teammates even with such a deep pool of contenders from which to choose. We shall see come 2024. As with almost everything associated with Davenport since her playing career, I enter the room with a healthy dose of skepticism.
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ITF PLAYER: Magdalena Frech/POL
...while the Polish #1 was practicing in Cancun, and the #2 was busy in Zhuhai, the nation's #3 won her first singles title since 2021 (WTA 125 Concord) and will climb to a new career high (#63) on Monday.

Frech claimed the crown at the $100K Les Franqueses del Valles (ESP) challenger, denying veteran Sara Errani her biggest ITF crown (she's won 9 WTA and two WTA 125 titles, of course), with a 7-5/4-6/6-4 victory in the final.


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JUNIOR STAR: Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER
...the 18-year old junior #4 made her Pan American Games debut in Santiago, collecting two wins and then leading top-seeded (and eventual Gold medalist) Laura Pigossi 6-2/5-4, holding a MP, in the 3rd Round before the Brazilian ultimately prevailed.

Perez Alarcon has claimed a pair of J300 titles this season, as well as being the Roland Garros girls' runner-up, becoming the first player from Peru to reach a junior slam singles final. At the U.S. Open, she lost in the 2nd Round to eventual champ Katherine Hui.
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DOUBLES: Beatriz Haddad Maia/Veronika Kudermetova, BRA/RUS
...the other half of Haddad Maia's undefeated week at the Elite Trophy, as she and Kudermetova swept through three matches without losing a set (the Brazilian was 14-of-14 in s/d combined), ending with a 6-3/6-3 win over Miyu Kato & Aldila Sutjiadi in the final.

Kudermetova, the WTAF doubles winner a year ago, picks up title #7 (2nd in '23), while Haddad Maia now has six (including a 1000 win in Madrid w/ Vika Azarenka this past spring).


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WHEELCHAIR: Yui Kamiji, JPN and Lizzy de Greef/NED
...hitting the court for the second time since the U.S. Open (Diede de Groot's follow-up will come in the season-ending WC Masters event in Week 44), Kamiji defended her singles Gold (won in 2018) at the one-year delayed Asian Para Games. She ended her week with a 6-2/6-0 win over Zhu Zhenzhen in Hangzhou (CHN), as well as claiming her first Gold in the doubles competition, teaming with Manami Tanaka to defeat Zhu & Guo Luoyao in the final.

World #2 Kamiji is now 45-1 this season vs. everyone but de Groot (0-8), and 88-2 in such matches the last two seasons.

Meanwhile, it's haaaaappening.

It was less than a decade ago that the early career output of one Diede de Groot (aka "the next one") was being watched ever so closely even before she'd made her slam debut and/or won some truly big-time titles in 2017. Well, we know how that's turned out. And now we may have the next "another" in Lizzy de Greef.

Last year's top junior, the now 19-year old seems well suited to be the next in the long, long line of Dutch women's wheelchair stars. At this week's Catalonia Open in Spain, de Greef went through the next significant paces of making that a reality, winning her first career Series 1 title and knocking off the first "top tier" (i.e. a slam singles champion or former #1 player) opponents of her career.

Arriving having won seven pro titles (2 Futures, 4 Series 3 and her biggest at the Series 2 level, claimed just two weeks ago), de Greef came into the week at #11, the youngest player ranked in the wheelchair women's Top 35. She made her slam debut this summer at the U.S. Open, falling to Aniek Van Koot 6-0/6-3 in her opening match.

In Catalonia, de Groot ran off straight sets wins over Maria Florencia Moreno, Pauline Deroulede and, in her first win in four tries vs. the veteran, Van Koot. After not winning more than three games in any set in their first two meetings, de Greef had taken Van Koot to three sets in the Sardinia Open last month. This time she won 7-6/7-5, reaching her second career Series 1 final (she lost to Zhu Zhenzhen in a July '22).

Next up was Jiske Griffioen, against whom she was 0-2, including a 6-0/6-0 loss in their most recent match in February. After dropping the 1st set at 6-1, de Greef won 1-6/6-2/6-3 to claim the biggest title of her career. She'll likely climb back into the Top 10 (she was their first this summer), possibly staying for a very long time. Unfortunately, it won't be in time to make her Wheelchair Masters singles debut next week (the Top 9 are there, w/ only #4 Momoko Ohtani out), but she *is* scheduled to play doubles with Van Koot.

Griffioen, a slam champ and Paralympic Gold winner, won her first *big* title at the WC Masters in November 2005. De Greef was just 19 months old at the time.

Already having stood side by side with de Groot as a member of the Netherlands' latest WC World Team Cup championship squad earlier this season, de Greef has yet to face off against the world #1. But it'll likely happen soon. Activating in 3,2,1...

@cataloniaopen

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1. Elite Trophy Final - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Zheng Qinwen
...7-6(11)/7-6(4). A tight affair in which Haddad Maia won the big points and, somehow, managed to get out with the title without having to go three.

Both players held multiple SP in the 1st. Zheng led 4-2, and had a 40/15 edge in game 9 for a 5-3 lead. In the TB, Haddad Maia had her first SP at 6-5, only to see Zheng soon hold two of her own. Finally, the Brazilian secured the set at 13-11 on SP #4.

In the 2nd, Zheng rallied from 3-1 and 5-3 down to force a TB but again saw Haddad Maia pull away for the 7-4 win.


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2. Pan American Games Gold Medal Match - Laura Pigossi/BRA def. Maria Carle/ARG
...6-2/6-3. For the love of Bueno...


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3. Tampico 125 Final - Emina Bektas def. Anna Kalinskaya
...6-3/3-6/7-6(3). Along with Haddad Maia in Zhuhai, Bektas and Kalinskaya made it *three* players reaching their first finals of the season on the WTA or WTA 125 level.

Over the course of the 2023, 91 different women (63 WTA, 28 125) have played in either a WTA or 125 final.
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4. Elite Trophy SF - Zheng Qinwen def. Zhu Lin
...7-5/4-6/6-1. In a do-over of the Asian Games Gold medal match, the same result arrived but only after Zheng had been pushed to the edge by Zhu after having defeated her countrywoman in straights last time out.

Zheng rallied from 3-1 and 5-4 (Zhu served for the set, with two SP) to snatch the 1st. In the 3rd, after holding to start the set, Zheng denied five GP (Zhu went up 40/15) to break for a 2-0 lead. She never gave up her edge, reaching her second straight tour-level final (and third in four events w/ her Asian Games run).


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5. Elite Trophy rr - Zheng Qinwen def. Donna Vekic
...6-4/6-7(6)/6-4. Vekic didn't win a match in Zhuhai, but pushed Zheng -- off winning runs in the Asian Games and Zhengzhou -- to the limit, leading 4-2 in the 3rd set.

Vekic went 1-7 in her final eight matches of '23, and 3-10 starting with her 3rd Round loss to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova at Wimbledon.


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6. Tampico 125 2nd Rd. - Elli Mandlik def. Ann Li
...5-7/6-2/7-6(6). In a rollercoaster 3rd, Mandlik took a two-break lead at 3-0. But Li strung together five consecutive games to take a 5-3 lead, serving for the match and then holding a pair of MP on Mandlik's serve at 5-4.

Mandlik pushed things to a deciding TB, where she won on her third MP.
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7. Pan American Games 3rd Rd. - Laura Pigossi/BRA def. Lucciana Perez Alarcon/PER
...2-6/7-5/6-4. Junior star LPA (#4 girl) nearly pushed out the #1 seed in Santiago and changed Pan American Games history. Instead she and Pigossi played arguably the match of the tournament.

In an affair that lasted 2:53, Perez Alarcon led 6-2/5-4, holding a MP, before the Brazilian rallied to get the win and go on to win the whole thing.


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8. Tampico 125 2nd Rd. - Emina Bektas def. Ajla Tomljanovic
...6-7(2)/6-4/7-5. As the season winds down, Tomljanovic is back after missing most of the year with a knee injury. After first returning at the U.S. Open, the Australian played her third and fourth '23 matches in Tampico, notching a win over Whitney Osuigwe before falling to Bektas in three.

Tomljanovic rallied from 5-3 down in the 1st, saving a SP, to take the opening stanza. She led Bektas 3-0 in the 3rd, then after the Bannerette surged ahead she saved a MP at 5-4. But Bektas won the final stages of play, breaking Tomljanovic to take a 6-5 lead and then serving out the win.

Tomljanovic is 2-2 on the season. Since ending Serena Williams' career at last year's U.S. Open, Tomljanovic has played just 18 matches (going 9-9).
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9. Pan American Games WD Gold Medal Match - Laura Pigossi/Luisa Stefani (BRA) def. Maria Fernanda Herazo Gonzalez/Maria Paulina Perez-Garcia (CHI) 7-5/6-3
Pan American Games MX Gold Medal Match - Yuliana Lizarazo/Nicolas Barrientos (COL) def. Luisa Stefani/Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) 6-3/6-4
...a productive week for Stefani, who completed her career set of Pan American Games medals, adding Gold (WD) and Silver (MX) to the Bronze (WD) she won at the last edition of the event in 2019. The Brazilian also won an Olympic Bronze in doubles in 2021.

Stefani has won three tour-level titles with three *other* partners -- Taylor Townsend, Zhang Shuai and Caroline Garcia -- this year, as well as the AO MX with yet another (Rafael Matos).


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10. $25K Santa Margherita di Pula ITA Final - Brenda Fruhvirtova def. Guillermina Naya 6-4/6-3
$25K Loule POR Final - Dominika Salkova def. Silvia Ambrosio 6-1/6-2
...another week, another *two* Crusher titles on the ITF challenger level.

Fruhvirtova, still just 16, improved to 13-0 in pro finals with her fifth title of the season; 19-year old Salkova grabbed career title #3.


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11. $25K Sharm El Sheikh EGY Final - Valentina Grammatikopoulou def. Linda Klimovicova
...7-6(1)/7-5. Another week, another... well, Crushers can't win 'em all.
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12. $60K Playford AUS Final - Astra Sharma def. Joanna Garland
...7-6(6)/6-0. Sharma adds an ITF title to her '23 WTA 125 title run in September, pushing her win total to a career-best 38 matches on the season as she climbs back into the Top 150.


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13. $60K Toronto CAN - Marina Stakusic def. Jana Fett
...3-6/7-5/6-3. Denying Fett her biggest title since 2015, 18-year old Canadian Stakusic picks up her third ITF title of the 4Q.


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14. $80K Tyler USA Final - Emma Navarro def. Kayla Day
...6-3/6-4. Navarro (1) and Day (2) have combined to win three $100K titles this season.

In an $80K, Navarro picks up her fourth '23 ITF singles title in her sixth final. She also reached a career-best 125 final in July.

The 2021 NCAA champ will make her Top 40 breakthrough on Monday, coming in at a career-high #38. Day moves to within one (at #87) of matching her career high.
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15. WTAF rr - Aryna Sabalenka def. Maria Sakkari
...6-0/6-1. Ouch.

The battle for season-ending #1 commences in Cancun.


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1. Elite Trophy rr - Veronika Kudermetova def. Liudmila Samsonova
...6-4/3-6/7-5. A reminder that these sort of events are round robins, where one result can impact the fortunes of another player who isn't even on the court. That was surely the case here.

Kudermetova was already eliminated, while Samsonova needed only to win to reach the SF. She led 5-2 in the 3rd, served for the match three times, and then again at 5-6 to try to force a deciding TB. Kudermetova got the break all three times, completing a comeback that knotted the three group members at 1-2 and sent #12-seeded wild card entrant Zhu Lin into the semis.


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2. $60K Toronto CAN Final - Carmen Corley/Ivana Corley def. Kayla Cross/Liv Hovde
...6–7(6), 6–3, [10–3]. The Corley sisters (Oklahoma teammates) win their third pro title as a duo.


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It's bad enough that the tour dithered for months about where to hold the WTAF (Ostrava, Cluj... deep-sigh, Saudi Arabia), and then it was awarded to a city that didn't even have an actual arena in which to hold the event. Then, the week before the start of the event, the players were in Cancun, but the court was *still* a work in progress (i.e. a virtual, err, literal shell).

This sports "organization" really is a joke. At this point, the players should almost sue for lack of institutional support. It's a continuation of a season(s)-long theme with the WTA that has not only become impossible to ignore, but really should be a scandal at this point.



Obviously embarrassed by the situation, the WTA social media team jumped in to try to play defense...



The "stadium" was finally set up on the weekend, THE DAY BEFORE play began on Sunday, and at first glance seemed to answer the question, "What would it look like if they had a big tennis event and decided to hold it in someone's backyard?" Hopefully a stiff breeze won't topple any of the "stands" by the end of the week.

Hmmm, I wonder if the concessions area will look like this...?



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Meanwhile... how do you say "hypocrite" in Russian? And do you use a rat emoji when you tweet it out?




Charlie Brown Christmas Mad GIFfrom Charlie Brown Christmas GIFs



As I noted earlier this summer, some of the purveyors of the online bullying of a fellow tour member would at some point point out similar online attacks on themselves by (more) relative strangers (i.e. bettors, mostly, I'm sure), and as I suspected then, while I possess empathy for such a situation it's difficult, as of this moment, to garner quite as much sympathy as it surely deserves.

Thankfully, Kasatkina has a rather full "goodwill bank," so that'll likely change over time.

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*WTA SECOND SEASON-ENDING EVENT CHAMPIONS*
[Tournament of Champions; Bali 2009-11, Sofia 2012-14]
2009 Aravane Rezai, FRA
2010 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2011 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2012 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2013 Simona Halep, ROU
2014 Andrea Petkovic, GER
[Elite Trophy; Zhuhai 2015-present]
2015 Venus Williams, USA
2016 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2017 Julia Goerges, GER
2018 Ash Barty, AUS
2019 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2023 Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
[doubles]
2015 Liang Chen/Wang Yafan, CHN/CHN
2016 Ipek Soylu/Xu Yifan, TUR/CHN
2017 Duan Yingying/Han Xinyu, CHN/CHN
2018 Lyudmyla Kichenok/Nadiia Kichenok, UKR/UKR
2019 Lyudmyla Kichenok/Andreja Klepac, UKR/SLO
2023 Beatriz Haddad Maia/Veronika Kudermetova, BRA/RUS

*SINGLES/DOUBLES CHAMPION IN EVENT*
[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 Krejcikova, CZE [San Diego]
Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA [Elite]

*2023 WTA TITLES w/o LOSING A SET*
2 - Iga Swiatek (Doha/Warsaw)
2 - Coco Gauff (Auckland/Washington)
1 - Aryna Sabalenka (Adelaide)
1 - Lauren Davis (Hobart)
1 - Ons Jabeur (Charleston)
1 - Katie Boulter (Nottingham)
1 - BEATRIZ HADDAD MAIA (Elite)
1 - Petra Kvitova (Berlin)
1 - Madison Keys (Eastbourne)
1 - Elise Mertens (Monastir)
1 - Maria Sakkari (Guadalajara)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2023*
7 - Iga Swiatek, POL (5-2)
6 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (3-3)
4 - Coco Gauff, USA (4-0)
4 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2-2)
4 - Jessie Pegula, USA (2-2)
4 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2-2)
3 - Belinda Bencic, SUI (2-1)
3 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (2-1)
3 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE (2-1)
3 - ZHENG QINWEN, CHN (2-1)
3 - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS (0-3)

*PAN-AMERICAN GAMES SINGLES MEDALISTS - since 1991*
[GOLD]
1991 Pam Shriver, USA
1995 Florencia Labat, ARG
1999 Maria Vento-Kabchi, VEN
2003 Milagros Sequera, VEN
2007 Milagros Sequera, VEN
2011 Irina Falconi, USA
2015 Mariana Duque Marino, COL
2019 Nadia Podoroska, ARG
2023 Laura Pigossi, BRA
[SILVER]
1991 Joelle Schad, DOM
1995 Ann Grossman, USA
1999 Tara Snyder, USA
2003 Sarah Taylor, USA
2007 Mariana Duque Marino, COL
2011 Monica Puig, PUR
2015 Victoria Rodriguez, MEX
2019 Caroline Dolehide, USA
2023 Maria Carle, ARG
[BRONZE]
1991 Andrea Vieira, BRA
1995 Chanda Rubin, USA
1999 Mariana Diaz Oliva/ARG and Alexandra Stevenson/USA
2003 Kristina Brandi/PUR and Ansley Cargill/USA
2007 Betina Jozami, ARG
2011 Christina McHale, USA
2015 Monica Puig, PUR
2019 Veronica Cepede Royg, VEN
2023 Julia Riera, ARG

*ASIAN PARA GAMES SINGLES GOLD*
2010 Sakhorn Khanthasit, THA
2014 Sakhorn Khanthasit, THA
2018 Yui Kamiji, JPN
2023 Yui Kamiji, JPN
[doubles Gold]
2010 Sakhorn Khanthasit/Chanungarn Techamaneewat, THA
2014 Wanitha Inthanin/Sakhorn Khanthasit, THA
2018 Huang Huimin/Zhu Zhenzhen, CHN
2023 Yui Kamiji/Manami Tanaka, JPN

=MOST WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF TITLES=
8 - Martina Navratilova
5 - Serena Williams
5 - Steffi Graf
4 - Chris Evert
3 - Kim Clijsters
3 - Monica Seles
2 - Gabriela Sabatini
2 - Martina Hingis
2 - Justine Henin
2 - Evonne Goolagong

=MOST WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF FINALS=
14 - Martina Navratilova (8-6)
8 - Chris Evert (4-4)
7 - Serena Williams (5-2)
6 - Steffi Graf (5-1)
4 - Lindsay Davenport (1-3)
4 - Monica Seles (3-1)
4 - Martina Hingis (2-2)
4 - Gabriela Sabatini (2-2)
3 - Kim Clijsters (3-0)
3 - Evonne Goolagong (2-1)
3 - Amelie Mauresmo (1-2)
3 - Maria Sharapova (1-2)
3 - Venus Williams (1-2)*
2 - Justine Henin (2-0)
2 - Tracy Austin (1-1)
2 - Petra Kvitova (1-1)*
2 - Elina Svitolina (1-1)*
2 - Caroline Wozniacki (1-1)*
2 - Mary Pierce (0-2)
-
*-active

=REACHED FINAL IN WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF DEBUT=
1979 Tracy Austin, USA
1981 Andrea Jaeger, USA
1994 Lindsay Davenport, USA
1996 Martina Hingis, SUI
2001 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2004 Maria Sharapova, RUS (W)
2011 Petra Kvitova, CZE (W)
2014 Simona Halep, ROU
2016 Dominika Cibulkova, SVK (W)
2018 Sloane Stephens, USA
2019 Ash Barty, AUS (W)
2021 Anett Kontaveit, EST
--
2023 debuts: Rybakina, Vondrousova

=MOST WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF WD TITLES=
11 - Martina Navratilova
10 - Pam Shriver
4 - Lisa Raymond
3 - Timea Babos*
3 - Cara Black
3 - Lindsay Davenport
3 - Martina Hingis
3 - Liebel Huber
3 - Natasha Zvereva
2 - Margaret Court
2 - Gigi Fernandez
2 - Anna Kournikova
2 - Sania Mirza
2 - Kristina Mladenovic*
2 - Jana Novotna
2 - Nadia Petrova
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
2 - Samantha Stosur
-
*-active

=WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF WS FINALS=
1972 Chris Evert d. Kerry Reid
1973 Chris Evert d.Nancy Richey
1974 Evonne Goolagong d. Chris Evert
1975 Chris Evert d. Martina Navratilova
1976 Evonne Goolagong d. Chris Evert
1977 Chris Evert d. Sue Barker
1978 Martina Navratilova d. Evonne Goolagong
1979 Martina Navratilova d. Tracy Austin
1980 Tracy Austin d. Martina Navratilova
1981 Martina Navratilova d. Andrea Jaeger
1982 Sylvia Hanika d. Martina Navratilova
1983 Martina Navratilova d. Chris Evert-Lloyd
1984 Martina Navratilova d. Chris Evert-Lloyd
1985 Martina Navratilova d. Helena Sukova
1986a Martina Navratilova d. Hana Mandlikova
1986b Martina Navratilova d. Steffi Graf
1987 Steffi Graf d. Gabriela Sabatini
1988 Gabriela Sabatini d. Pam Shriver
1989 Steffi Graf d. Martina Navratilova
1990 Monica Seles d. Gabriela Sabatini
1991 Monica Seles d. Martina Navratilova
1992 Monica Seles d. Martina Navratilova
1993 Steffi Graf d. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1994 Gabriela Sabatini d. Lindsay Davenport
1995 Steffi Graf d. Anke Huber
1996 Steffi Graf d. Martina Hingis
1997 Jana Novotna d. Mary Pierce
1998 Martina Hingis d. Lindsay Davenport
1999 Lindsay Davenport d. Martina Hingis
2000 Martina Hingis d. Monica Seles
2001 Serena Williams w/o Lindsay Davenport
2002 Kim Clijsters d. Serena Williams
2003 Kim Clijsters d. Amelie Mauresmo
2004 Maria Sharapova d. Serena Williams
2005 Amelie Mauresmo d. Mary Pierce
2006 Justine Henin-Hardenne d. Amelie Mauresmo
2007 Justine Henin d. Maria Sharapova
2008 Venus Williams d. Vera Zvonareva
2009 Serena Williams d. Venus Williams
2010 Kim Clijsters d. Caroline Wozniacki
2011 Petra Kvitova d. Victoria Azarenka
2012 Serena Williams d. Maria Sharapova
2013 Serena Williams d. Li Na
2014 Serena Williams d. Simona Halelp
2015 Aga Radwanska d. Petra Kvitova
2016 Dominika Cibulkova d. Angelique Kerber
2017 Caroline Wozniacki d. Venus Williams
2018 Elina Svitolina d. Sloane Stephens
2019 Ash Barty d. Elina Svitolina
2021 Garbine Muguruza d. Anett Kontaveit
2022 Caroline Garcia d. Aryna Sabalenka

=WTA CHAMPIONSHIP/WTAF WD CHAMPIONS=
1973 Rosie Casals / Margaret Court
1974 Billie Jean King / Rosie Casals
1975 Margaret Court / Virginia Wade
1976 Billie Jean King / Betty Stove
1977 Martina Navratilova / Betty Stove
1978 Billie Jean King / Martina Navratilova
1979 Francoise Durr / Betty Stove
1980 Billie Jean King / Martina Navratilova
1981 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1982 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1983 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1984 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1985 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1986a Hana Mandlikova / Wendy Turnbull
1986b Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1987 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1988 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1989 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1990 Kathy Jordan / Liz Smylie
1991 Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver
1992 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario / Helena Sukova
1993 Gigi Fernandez / Natalia Zvereva
1994 Gigi Fernandez / Natalia Zvereva
1995 Jana Novotna / Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1996 Lindsay Davenport / Mary Joe Fernandez
1997 Lindsay Davenport / Jana Novotna
1998 Lindsay Davenport / Natasha Zvereva
1999 Martina Hingis / Anna Kournikova
2000 Martina Hingis / Anna Kournikova
2001 Lisa Raymond / Rennae Stubbs
2002 Elena Dementieva / Janette Husarova
2003 Virginia Ruano-Pascual / Paola Suarez
2004 Nadia Petrova / Meghann Shaughnessy
2005 Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur
2006 Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur
2007 Cara Black / Liezel Huber
2008 Cara Black / Liezel Huber
2009 Nuria Llagostera-Vives / Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez
2010 Gisela Dulko / Flavia Pennetta
2011 Liezel Huber / Lisa Raymond
2012 Maria Kirilenko / Nadia Petrova
2013 Hsieh Su-Wei / Peng Shuai
2014 Cara Black / Sania Mirza
2015 Martina Hingis / Sania Mirza
2016 Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina
2017 Timea Babos / Andrea Hlavackova
2018 Timea Babos / Kristina Mladenovic
2019 Timea Babos / Kristina Mladenovic
2021 Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina Siniakova
2022 Veronika Kudermetova / Elise Mertens

*CURRENT WTAF WS APPEARANCE (rr) STREAKS*
3 - Aryna Sabalenka
3 - Maria Sakkari
3 - Iga Swiatek
2 - Coco Gauff
2 - Ons Jabeur
2 - Jessie Pegula
1 - Rybakina, Vondrousova
-
2023 Alternates: Krejcikova, Keys

*2023 WTAF FIELD - CAREER W/L (pre-2023)*
#1 Sabalenka (4-4)
#2 Swiatek (4-3)
#3 Gauff (0-3)
#4 Rybakina (0-0)
#5 Pegula (0-3)
#6 Jabeur (1-2)
#7 Vondrousova (0-0)
DNP - Muchova (DNP)
#8 Sakkari (5-3)
-
Alternates: Krejcikova (0-3), Keys (1-2)





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"Maybe stories do matter."

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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 10:40 PM 

2 Comments:

Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Hmm, the only way these WTA Finals could have been worse would have been if they'd been given to Acapulco rather than Cancun. :|

Fri Nov 03, 02:39:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

Really.

Did you see the "reply" to the letter from the players? Some people say that it appears to have been written by a child, but I find that almost all writing (in English) is total trash now, including that done by "respected" authors, so who knows who wrote it?

At least we finally have players (other than Jo Konta) who call out the nonsense--I've waited decades for this.

Sun Nov 05, 11:59:00 AM EST  

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