Thursday, January 18, 2024

AO24 - Blink 10/42

A 42-point tie-break? Lesia Tsurenko and Ana Bogdan weep, for there but for the grace of the Tennis Gods even they did not go.

But it looked good on Anna Blinkova, though.



The 25-year old Hordette has been positioned at the center of things before during a slam. Last year in Paris, she knocked off a #5-seeded Caroline Garcia in the 2nd Round. It took her 9 match points to do it. Then, a round later in a spirited contest with Elina Svitolina (who'd defeated her in straight sets in the Strasbourg final the prior week), she went three with the Ukrainian, forcing her to serve for the match twice, staving off a pair of MP (one on a 17-shot rally) before finally going out on a third.

So I guess it's just the Blinkova way.

What had been a good match, with Blinkova and #3-seeded Elena Rybakina exchanging 6-4 sets, turned epic in its third Act as Rybakina, who'd opened 2024 like a house afire in Brisbane, was stressed with trying to stay alive in the 2nd Round a year after reaching her maiden AO final. The Kazakh valiantly fought back as Blinkova twice served for the match in the 3rd, saving two MP in game #12 to send things to a deciding match tie-break.



Little did we know that what would commence would be a tie-break of historic proportions, lasting more than half an hour and with both players combining to save 13 MP, often with deliriously brilliant shotmaking and eye-popping defense. Rybakina was the first to find herself in a heap of trouble, only to hit her way out. Then Blinkova took a few turns of her own. Nothing was given, and everything earned.



Rybakina saved 7 MP in the TB alone (giving her 9 for the match), while Blinkova swatted away 6 MP chances on the other side of the net. The battle extended for 42 points, making it the longest women's tie-break in slam history. No matter how hard she tried, though, Rybakina couldn't make Blinkova go away. The Hordette -- whose name makes this way too easy, to the point of almost painful cliche -- would not blink (hey, you're obliged to say it *once*, right?). Finally, on MP #10, things went her way and Blinkova was on the right side of history in a 6-4/4-6/7-6(22-20) victory that sends her into her first AO 3rd Round, and third at the last four slams.



While it's sad to see Rybakina go, it's a welcome moment for Blinkova to finally receive the accolades she deserves this time around, and not have to deal with various dirty backwash that have come with her other highlight moments from the past year.

When Blinkova, universally recognized as one of the nicest players on tour, made the Strasbourg final she wasn't even acknowledged by her opponent in the aftermath. When she upset Garcia she had to contend with the bitter French fans as she tossed out one of their home favorites. A round later, when she lost to Svitolina again in a much tougher affair she had at least "earned" a nod and a modicum of consideration for a well-fought battle, but still had to deal with unwarrented boos and ill-informed accusations that she was somehow at fault.

This time, though, Blinkova got her just rewards. A big win vs. a major opponent on a big stage, and the adulation that should come with such perseverance and success.

Occasionally, the planets do align in this sport. And what reasonable person can't find solace and maybe even a touch of delight in that?









...Hmmm...:



Alona left out facing the same Australian who last year accused her -- during the match -- of lying and faking injury, and beating her in their first meeting since then. In front of all her Aussie fans. So I thought I'd add that little tidbit for her.


...CONTINUING A THEME:




...THIS CAN'T BE A GOOD OMEN FOR THE BILLS THIS WEEKEND, RIGHT?:




...CAN SOMEONE DEFEAT YUI KAMIJI 25 TIMES IN A ROW?:

We'll soon find out, as the Melbourne Wheelchair Open final is set and -- drumroll -- Diede de Groot and Yui Kamiji will face off for the crown. Shocking, I know.

De Groot carries her (official) 130-match winning streak into the match. Kamiji has gone 99-2 vs. non-de Groot opponents since the start of the '22 season, but hasn't defeated de Groot since early in the 2021 season (in the final of this same event) and has gone 1-31 in their last 32 matches.

They'll battle for the WD title, as well, where Kamiji has had far more success. De Groot is back with Aniek Van Koot, while Kamiji again teams with Kgothatso Montjane.


...ANSWERING THE BURNING QUESTION:

What do you get when you switch from playing under the Russian flag to that of France? A racket tap from a Ukrainian, that's what.




...ALLLL-RIGHTY THEN:










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*AO "ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE" WINNERS*
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Francesca Schiavone, ITA
2012 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2016 Monica Puig, PUR
2017 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2020 Coco Gauff, USA ("Zombie Teen Queen")
2021 Simona Halep, ROU
2022 Amanda Anisimova, USA
2023 Miriam Kolodziejova/Marketa Vondrousova, CZE/CZE
2024 Anna Blinkova, RUS

*RECENT AO "CRASH & BURN"*
2016 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2017 Simona Halep, ROU (1st Rd.)
2018 S.Stephens, C.Vandeweghe & V.Williams, USA (1st/'17 US SF)
2019 Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (1st Rd.; lost last 12 games)
2020 Serena Williams, USA (3rd Rd.)
2021 Sofia Kenin, USA (2nd Rd.; early AO DC out since '03)
2022 E.Raducanu, GBR (2nd) and & L.Fernandez, CAN (1st) ['21 US F]
2023 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (1st Rd.; falls from Top 80)
2024 Ons Jabeur, TUN (2nd Rd.; only 2 games vs. M.Andreeva)

*RECENT AO "LAST AUSSIE STANDING" WINNERS*
2016 Dasha Gavrilova (4th Rd.)
2017 Dasha Gavrilova (4th Rd.)
2018 Ash Barty (3rd Rd.)
2019 Ash Barty (QF)
2020 Ash Barty (SF)
2021 Ash Barty (QF)
2022 Ash Barty (W)
2023 Kimberly Birrell & Olivia Gadecki (2nd Rd.)
2024 Storm Hunter (in 3rd Rd.)




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A preview of Ostapenko's dress for Paris?




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TOP QUALIFIER: Alina Korneeva, RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2 - Alina Korneeva/RUS def. Ma Yexin/CHN 6-7/6-4/7-6(5) - '23 AO girls champ saves 2 MP; qualifies and is youngest in women's MD
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - Anna Blinkova/RUS def. #3 Elena Rybakina/KAZ 6-4/4-6/7-6(22-20) - on 10th MP after saving 6 MP in MTB (at 42 points, the longest in women's slam history)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Kamilla Rakhimova/RUS (def. Emina Bektas/USA)
FIRST SEED OUT: #13 Liudmila Samsonova/RUS (1r-lost to Anisimova/USA)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Brenda Fruhvirtova/CZE, McCartney Kessler/USA, Alina Korneeva/RUS, Maria Timofeeva/RUS, Anastasia Zakharova/RUS
PROTECTED RANKING MD WINS: In 3r: Anisimova/USA, Badosa/ESP; 2r: Raducanu/GBR, Tomljanovic/AUS
UPSET QUEENS: France (only nation to defeat multiple seeds in 1st Rd.)
REVELATION LADIES: Unseeded Russians (9-1 in 1st Rd.)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Seeds from Russia (1-4 in 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 3r: Hunter, Timofeeva, Yastremska, Zakharova
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: McCartney Kessler/USA, Caroline Wozniacki/DEN (2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Storm Hunter/AUS (in 3r)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT (??): Nominees: Her? (Mirra); "Melbourne Marta" (Kostyuk); young Pastries (Burel/Parry); Blinkova
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Anisimova, Badosa
CRASH & BURN: #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN (2r- 2 games vs. M.Andreeva)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Anna Blinkova/RUS (2r- saved 6 MP vs. Rybakina, wins on 10th MP)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: xx
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Sabalenka (2-0), Blinkova
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: xxx
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx





All for now. More soon.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:22 PM 

5 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

I think Anisimova will take out Sabalenka and Gauff will make it to the final from the bottom half.

Swiatek also deserves the "Zombie Queen of Melbourne".

Fri Jan 19, 04:02:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

I pretty much had her down for ZQ until the Blinkova/Sabalenka match, but I went with 6 MP saved over a 4-1 deficit. Iga surely *looked* more like a zombie there, though, than Blinkova. But she gets that look against big hitters at times, I guess. ;)

The next post won't be until after the 3rd Round is complete, but I wanted to note that Andreeva wasn't the only player yesterday who rallied from 5-1 back and saved a MP.

Diede de Groot did it, too.

Kamiji led 5-1 in the 3rd set of the Melbourne Open final, twice served for the match, and held a MP at 5-3. But de Groot pushed things to a TB and won it 7-0 to push her winning streak to 131.

Fri Jan 19, 02:15:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Here's the de Groot/Kamiji match. It was the first match up, and de Groot is down 5-1 at about the 1:47:00 mark.

Fri Jan 19, 02:16:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

I didn't know about de Groot--wow. Also--this is one of your most inspired post titles. :-)

Fri Jan 19, 06:53:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Thanks -- I kind of liked it myself (which is always the *first* test).

Sat Jan 20, 04:02:00 PM EST  

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