Saturday, January 27, 2024

Arynaheimer: A Sabalenka Sequel

Some may travel Down Under as a destination vacation with the intention to recharge. Aryna Sabalenka goes there as a work trip, and to reload.



Two years ago, the Belarusian came to Australia with a game that was as untamed as it was as fierce as the tiger tattoo on her her forearm. Still in a lingering bout with in-match emotional swings, Sabalenka was then also contending with service issues that were routinely producing double-digit double-fault totals that occasionally began with a "2." It was a problem that threatened to collapse the promise of a talent that, even while still not "in-check," had produced back-to-back slam semifinal runs to close out '21 and was just coming into its own. In the moment, to think that Sabalenka was *assured* of finding a way to contain the damage and alter course was something nearly akin to splitting the atom.

But over the course of her '22 campaign, Sabalenka and her team rebuilt her serve, and the painstaking process helped to teach her to "domesticate" her power game, maintaing its ferocious growl while not sacrificing any of its lethal traits. By the end of that year, she was defeating the world #1, #2 and #3 in the WTA Finals, and then winning her maiden slam crown at the '23 Australian Open just three months after that.

A year later, after a brief stint at #1 last fall, Sabalenka is the most consistent slam force on the women's tour. Three finals in five events, three straight in hard court majors, including two in a row and SF+ results in eight of the last ten slams in which she's participated.

#2-seed Sabalenka barely lost a game during the first week of her return to Melbourne, dropping just 11 through the first four rounds, then polishing off a pair of Top 10 seeded previous slam winners (Barbora Krejcikova and Coco Gauff, having lost to the latter in last year's U.S. Open final) to return to the AO championship match seeking to become the first back-to-back women's champion since countrywoman Victoria Azarenka in 2012-13.

With her power once again let loose on Australian hard courts, the only person left standing between the WTA's "most dangerous game" and another dance with the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup was one Zheng Qinwen, the 21-year old #12 seed from China making her slam final debut ten years after from her classroom she'd watched Li Na win the AO in her third attempt in the Melbourne final.

As the seeds had fallen off in the top half of the draw, Zheng had held her form and prevailed over a string of players making their first career visits to a slam 3rd, 4th, QF and SF round, along the way winning a MTB vs. countrywoman Wang Yafan (3r) and after dropping the 1st set against Anna Kalinskaya (QF).

Zheng lost convincingly to Sabalenka in her first slam QF last summer at the U.S. Open, but since then (after losing her coach, eventually replaced by Pere Riba in his second go-around with the young star) had gone 21-3, winning Asian Games Gold and reaching a pair of WTA finals (winning her second of two '23 tour titles) and now reaching her first slam final, joining Li as just the second woman from China to do so. No matter the result of her latest clash with Sabalenka, Zheng (at a live #7) was assured of making her Top 10 debut next week.

While Zheng surely wished to implement an aggressive plan of action in her maiden slam final, her opponent sported the sort of aggressive game to which a player with such thoughts might aspire. The first-time finalist's chances were always going to hinge on whether Sabalenka's two-week (and two-year) roll in the event suffered any sort of "bump in the road" that was largely of her own doing. If a door opened, Zheng would seek to find a way through it.

Thing is, none ever really did.

Sabalenka opened the proceedings with a big serve and put-away shot into the open court. It set the tone for what was to come. She held at love, then broke Zheng. Up 2-0, Sabalenka had won eight of the first nine points.

After slipping into a love/40 deficit a game later, Sabalenka reeled off five straight points to hold. Zheng wouldn't see another BP in the set, nor hardly in the match.

Zheng got on the board in game 4 with big serving (2 aces), but the Belarusian held at love again to lead 4-1. Zheng rallied from love/40 down to hold and stay close at 5-3, perhaps hoping that Sabalenka might casually slip into an intermittent bad patch ala the one that nearly squandered her dominating 1st set start in the semis vs. Gauff. Zheng did her part with a few big returns, but Sabalenka kept up the pressure and closed out a 6-3 set with a big serve.

Looking to get an on-serve lead in the 2nd, Zheng went up 30/love in the opening game. But a DF brought the score even at 30-all, and a Sabalenka return winner gave her a BP. Another Zheng DF meant that Sabalenka had another set by the scruff of the neck.

From 30/30, Sabalenka consolidated the break; then she did it again two games later with a hold from 15/30 down.

Zheng rallied from 15/30 in game 5 to reach GP, but lost her edge. Another DF gave Sabalenka a BP. A big-hitting baseline rally ensued, with Zheng holding on with good retrievals of the Belarusian's shots until Sabalenka stepped into the court and used a slice backhand drop shot winner to take a double-break lead at 4-1.

Serving to defend her title at 5-2, Sabalenka raced to a 40/love lead. She missed with shots into both corners on her first two MP, then Zheng saved a third with a drop shot, and still a fourth with a winning return. Zheng reached BP, her first since the third game of the match, but Sabalenka brushed it away with an ace.

Finally, on her fifth MP chance, Sabalenka put away a short ball to extend her reign as the Australian Open champion for another year with a 6-3/6-2 win.



With one final shot, and then a pat on the bald pate of her fitness coach (which she's taken to autographing at this AO, when she's not been playfully using it as a target for various games while passing time waiting for her matches to begin), Sabalenka thus enters slam history.



Sabalenka is just the third woman to win both her first and second slam crowns in back-to-back years at the same event, joining the likes of Martina Navratilova (1978-79 Wimbledon) and the aforementioned Azarenka (2012-13 AO). Sabalenka's 14-match Melbourne winning streak has seen her claim 28 of 29 sets, and all 14 she contested at this year's tournament. She's the tenth to win the AO without dropping a set in the Open era, but just the third (w/ S.Williams '17 and Barty '22) in the last sixteen years.

While this slam will be noteworthy for Zheng's first foray into the latter stages of a major, as she now begins her quest to fully follow in the footsteps of Li, the '24 AO marks Melbourne once again as a launching point for yet another season for Sabalenka.

A year ago, she took the momentum, thrilled in the chase, and ultimately completed a nearly season-long hunt of world #1 Iga Swiatek, assuming the top spot for eight weeks following the U.S. Open.

Sabalenka didn't complete the task in 2023, though, erring down the stretch and ending up at #2 behind the Pole in the season-ending rankings. With Swiatek's 3rd Round exit in Melbourne, Sabalenka's matching of her result from a year ago actually *cuts* her deficit at #2 from from 975 points to 865.

Time for another sequel. Iga is looking over her shoulder yet again.






=AO NOTES=
...Diede de Groot has continued to win in 2024. In fact, she's yet to lose in singles *or* doubles. But, my, has she had to work and take (for her) a very unconventional route to the winner's cirlce.

De Groot claimed a record 13th consecutive slam singles title with her win over Yui Kamiji on Saturday, but it was hardly the result of what would even wildly generously be termed a "masterpiece."



On the heels of being down 5-1 in the 3rd and facing a MP in the Melbourne Open final vs. Kamiji last week, de Groot dropped the opening set in her AO QF vs. Aniek Van Koot. Then in her 18th slam final match-up with Kamiji, de Groot's serve nearly had her dangling from a proverbial highwire once again.

Despite leading the 1st set 5-2 vs. Kamiji in the AO final, even *that* had come via a twisted path for de Groot. Her edge was based on Kamiji simply not being able to hold serve (she dropped her first four service games, and four of five in the set). Meanwhile, de Groot struggled to do so, as well, holding just once in her first five service games in the set as Kamiji's big return game kept her in the mix.

De Groot failed to serve out the set on her first two tries, putting in five DF in game 8 alone (including the final two points). Kamiji got her lone hold in game 9, after saving a pair of SP, to close to within 5-4. After not putting away two more SP, this time on serve, in game 10, de Groot broke back for 6-5 for a third chance to serve out the set. She fell behind 15/40 and saved three BP, but finally secured the set 7-5 on SP #6 when Kamiji fired a ball long.

Things were only marginally less messy in the 2nd. There, de Groot went up a break three times, but immediately dropped serve in the following game all three times. Finally, up a break at 5-4, de Groot took a 40/15 lead and, on MP #2, Kamiji's long return ended the 7-5/6-4 contest.



Afterward, de Groot's sense of relief was clear. Along with her unusually close matches, she's been dealing with a few issues off the court. "The last couple of weeks have not been going just all my way with a little injury and a cold, a match point down in the preparation tournament," she said.

So, maybe the January rollercoaster can be explained... not that that will do anything for Kamiji, I guess, who *still* wasn't able to end her now 26-match losing streak to de Groot even while the #1 was physically hampered *and* the Japanese veteran found herself in clear the-win-is-there-for-the-taking situations. Kamiji is 102-2 in her last 104 matches vs. non-de Groot foes, but her last singles slam title came in the October version of Roland Garros in 2020. De Groot has won all of them since.



De Groot's AO win adds a few more records to her career resume. Her 13th straight slam title breaks the WC record held by Shingo Kunieda (2007-11), and her 21st career slam singles crown ties her for the all-time women's mark with her Hall of Fame mentor, Esther Vergeer. De Groot's current singles winning streak stands at 135 matches, 44 in slam play.

Ah, but that's not all. A few more:

* - de Groot has won 19 of the last 21 slam singles crowns

* - for her career, starting with the 2017 AO, de Groot has played in the singles final in 24 of her 28 slam appearances, and in 50 of 56 s/d finals. She's won 21 and 18 titles, respectively.

* - she's 16-2 vs. Kamiji in slam finals (they've met in the final of 18 of the last 25 slams)

* - with her AO doubles title, this is her 14th s/d slam sweep. She's swept both AO titles the last four years.

...in the junior final, top-seeded Renata Jamrichova, 16, became the first Slovak to claim a girls' slam singles crown since Tereza Mihalikova did it in 2015 in Melbourne. She defeated #6-seeded Emerson Jones, who was looking to be the first home-grown AO girls' champ in 29 years, by a 6-4/6-1 score. 15-year old Jones had won the Traralgon J300 junior title heading into the AO.



Jamrichova won the AO girls' doubles last year after losing in the singles QF to eventual runner-up Mirra Andreeva.





...YEP, THE AO TWITTER DID IT AGAIN...:

Just like last year (or was it the year before that?), the tournament Twitter account got caught in the "the 2020 RG was actually *after* the US Open" trap -- you KNOW that's how it happened -- and got de Groot's consecutive slam titles number wrong again (13, not 14). As seen on the tweet with the Wikipedia career slam results charts below, it's SO easy to make the mistake (a little notation really needs to be made in the '20 RG box that refers to the altered chronology on *all* WTA/ATP/WC tennis results).



As was the case before, de Groot chose other posts to retweet.


...CELEBRATION IN 3..2...1...:




...SHE WAS 5-0 UNDER THE LIGHTS THERE, BY THE WAY...:

Quite a scheduling run for a non-Aussie, considering during Ash Barty's title year she was 6-0 at night.




...MEANWHILE, CHAPTER 1 COMPLETE:



Next chapter loading...








=WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. #12 Zheng Qinwen/CHN 6-3/6-2

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#11 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) vs. #2 Hsieh/Mertens (TPE/BEL)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#3 Hsieh/Zielinski (TPE/POL) def. #2 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR) 6-7(5)/6-4 [11-9]

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED def. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN 7-5/6-4

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 de Groot/Griffioen (NED/NED) def. #1 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA) 6-3/7-6(2)

=GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Renata Jamrichova/SVK def. #6 Emerson Jones/AUS 6-4/6-1

=GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
#3 Grant/Jovic (USA/USA) def. Pastikova/Stusek (CZE/GER) 6-3/6-1










kosova-font

*RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN SINGLES CHAMPIONS*
2010 Serena Williams, USA
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2013 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2)
2014 Li Na, CHN
2015 Serena Williams, USA
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Serena Williams, USA (3)
2018 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2019 Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 Sofia Kenin, USA
2021 Naomi Osaka, JPN (2)
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2)

*RECENT WOMEN'S SLAM WINNERS*
2020 AO: Sofia Kenin, USA*
2020 US: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2020 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL*
2021 AO: Naomi Osaka, JPN
2021 RG: Barbora Krejcikova, CZE*
2021 WI: Ash Barty, AUS
2021 US: Emma Raducanu, GBR*
2022 AO: Ash Barty, AUS
2022 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2022 WI: Elena Rybakina, KAZ*
2022 US: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR*
2023 RG: Iga Swiatek, POL
2023 WI: Marketa Vondrousova, CZE*
2023 US: Coco Gauff, USA*
2024 AO: Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
--
* - first-time slam champ

*AGE OF 2020s SLAM WINNERS*
18 = Emma Raducanu, GBR (2021 US)
19 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2020 RG)
19 = Coco Gauff, USA (2023 US)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 RG)
21 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2022 US)
21 = Sofia Kenin, USA (2020 AO)
22 = Iga Swiatek, POL (2023 RG)
22 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2020 US)
23 = Naomi Osaka, JPN (2021 AO)
23 = Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2022 WI)
24 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2023 AO)
24 = Marketa Vondrouosva, CZE (2023 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2021 WI)
25 = Ash Barty, AUS (2022 AO)
25 = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (2021 RG)
25 = Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (2024 AO)

*CONSECUTIVE AO SINGLES TITLES, OPEN ERA*
1969-71 Margaret Court (3)
1974-76 Evonne Goolagong (3)
1988-90 Steffi Graf (3)
1991-93 Monica Seles (3)
1997-99 Martina Hingis (3)
2001-02 Jennifer Capriati
2009-10 Serena Williams
2012-13 Victoria Azarenka
2023-24 Aryna Sabalenka

*WON FIRST TWO SLAMS IN CON. YEARS IN SAME EVENT*
1978-79 WI: Martina Navratilova
2012-13 AO: Victoria Azarenka
2023-24 AO: Aryna Sabalenka

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s - BY NATION (16 slams / 32 finalists)*
6 - USA (2-4)
4 - POL (4-0)
4 - BLR (2-2)*
4 - CZE (2-2)
3 - TUN (0-3)
2 - AUS (2-0)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - KAZ (1-1)
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - CHN (0-1)*
1 - ESP (0-1)
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - RUS (0-1)

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020's*
4 - Iga Swiatek, POL (4-0)
3 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (2-1)
3 - Ons Jabeur, TUN (0-3)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS (2-0)
2 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (2-0)
2 - Coco Gauff, USA (1-1)
2 - Sofia Kenin, USA (1-1)
2 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (1-1)
1 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1-0)
1 - Emma Raducanu, GBR (1-0)
1 - Marketa Vondrouosva, CZE (1-0)
1 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR (0-1)
1 - Jennifer Brady, USA (0-1)
1 - Danielle Collins, USA (0-1)
1 - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (0-1)
1 - Karolina Muchova, CZE (0-1)
1 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (0-1)
1 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (0-1)
1 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (0-1)
1 - ZHENG QINWEN, CHN (0-1)

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
5...Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
5...Simona Halep (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka (4-0)
4...Iga Swiatek (4-0)
4...Angelique Kerber (3-1)
4...Garbine Muguruza (2-2)
3...Petra Kvitova (2-1)
3...ARYNA SABALENKA (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
3...Ons Jabeur (0-3)
2...Coco Gauff (1-1)
2...Elena Rybakina (1-1)
2...Marketa Vondrousova (1-1)

*CAREER SLAM SINGLES TITLES - ACTIVE*
7...Venus Williams, USA
4...Naomi Osaka, JPN
4...Iga Swiatek, POL
3...Angelique Kerber, GER
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Simona Halep, ROU
2...Petra Kvitova, CZE
2...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2...ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR
-
ALSO: Barty-3

*WON AO WITHOUT LOSING SET - Open era*
Steffi Graf - 1988
Steffi Graf - 1989
Steffi Graf - 1994
Mary Pierce - 1995
Martina Hingis - 1997
Lindsay Davenport - 2000
Maria Sharapova - 2008
Serena Williams - 2017
Ash Barty - 2022
Aryna Sabalenka - 2024

*RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS FINALS*
2015 Tereza Mihalikova/SVK d. Katie Swan/GBR
2016 Vera Lapko/BLR d. Tereza Mihalikova/SVK
2017 Marta Kostyuk/UKR d. Rebeka Masarova/SUI
2018 Liang En-shuo/TPE d. Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Clara Tauson/DEN d. Leylah Fernandez/CAN
2020 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva/AND d. Weronika Baszak/POL
2022 Petra Marcinko/CRO d. Sofia Costoulas/BEL
2023 Alina Korneeva/RUS d. Mirra Andreeva/RUS
2024 Renata Jamrichova/SVK d. Emerson Jones/AUS

*JUNIOR GIRLS' SLAM SINGLES CHAMPS*
[SVK]
2007 US: Kristina Kucova
2015 AO: Tereza Mihalikova
2024 AO: Renata Jamrichova

*RECENT AO "JUNIOR BREAKOUT" WINNERS*
2015 Tereza Mihalikova, SVK
2016 Sara Tomic, AUS
2017 Marta Kostyuk, UKR
2018 Liang En-shuo, TPE
2019 Clara Tauson/DEN and Anastasia Tikhonova/RUS
2020 Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva, AND
2022 Angella Okutoyi/KEN and Meshkatolzahra Safi/IRA
2023 Mirra Andreeva/RUS and Alina Korneeva/RUS
2024 Renata Jamrichova, SVK

*RECENT TRARALGON JR. CHAMPIONS; w/ AO Jr. RESULT*
2015 Katherine Sebov, CAN (2r)
2016 Vera Lapko, BLR (W)
2017 Iga Swiatek, POL (1r)
2018 Liang En-shou, TPE (W)
2019 Clara Tauson, DEN (W)
2020 Polina Kudermetova, RUS (QF)
2021 DNP
2022 Sofia Costoulas, BEL (RU)
2023 Melisa Ercan, TUR (1r)
2024 Emerson Jones, AUS (RU)

*RECENT AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS DOUBLES CHAMPS*
2014 Anhelina Kalinina / Elizaveta Kulichkova, UKR/RUS
2015 Miriam Kolodziejova / Marketa Vondrousova, CZE/CZE
2016 Anna Kalinskaya / Tereza Mihalikova, RUS/SVK
2017 Bianca Andreescu / Carson Branstine, CAN/USA
2018 Liang En-shou / Wang Xinyu, TPE/CHN
2019 Natsumi Kawaguchi / Adrienn Nagy, JPN/HUN
2020 Alexandra Eala / Priska Madelyn Nugroho, PHI/INA
2022 Clervie Ngounoue / Diana Shnaider, USA/RUS
2023 Renata Jamrichova / Federica Urgesi, SVK/ITA
2024 Tyra Caterina Grant / Iva Jovic, USA/USA

*RECENT WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS*
2021 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
2021 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2022 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. Aniek Van Koot/NED
2022 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2022 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2022 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2023 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2023 RG - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2023 WI - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. Jiske Griffioen/NED
2023 US - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2024 AO - #1 Diede de Groot/NED d. #2 Yui Kamiji/JPN

*AO WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONS*
[singles]
2002 Classic 8's: Esther Vergeer/NED
2003 Classic 8's: Esther Vergeer/NED
2004 Classic 8's: Esther Vergeer/NED
2005 Classic 8's: Mie Yaosa/JPN
2006 Classic 8's: Esther Vergeer/NED
2007 Esther Vergeer/NED
2008 Esther Vergeer/NED
2009 Esther Vergeer/NED
2010 Korie Homan/NED
2011 Esther Vergeer/NED
2012 Esther Vergeer/NED
2013 Aniek Van Koot/NED
2014 Sabine Ellerbrock/GER
2015 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2016 Jiske Griffioen/NED
2017 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2018 Diede de Groot/NED
2019 Diede de Groot/NED
2020 Yui Kamiji/JPN
2021 Diede de Groot/NED
2022 Diede de Groot/NED
2023 Diede de Groot/NED
2024 Diede de Groot/NED

*WHEELCHAIR SLAM SINGLES TITLES*
[AO-RG-WI-US]
21 - Esther Vergeer, NED [9-6-0-6]
21 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED [6-4-5-6]
8 - Yui Kamiji, JPN [2-4-0-2]
4 - Jiske Griffioen, NED [2-1-1-0]
3 - Aniek van Koot, NED [1-0-1-1]
3 - Monique Kalkman, NED [0-0-0-3]

*WC SLAM SINGLES FINALS - active*
27 - YUI KAMIJI, JPN (8-19)
24 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (21-3)
14 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3-11)
7 - Jiske Griffioen, NED (4-3)
1 - Kgothatso Montjane, RSA (0-1)
1 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN (0-1)

*ALL-TIME WC SLAM TITLES (M+W)*
50 - Shingo Kunieda, JPN (28/22)
42 - Esther Vergeer, NED (21/21)
39 - DIEDE DE GROOT, NED (21/18)*
28 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (8/20)*
27 - Alfie Hewett, GBR (8/19)*
26 - Aniek Van Koot, NED (3/23)*
25 - Gordon Reid, GBR (2/23)*
24 - Stephane Houdet, FRA (4/20)*
-
*-active

*DIEDE DE GROOT vs. IN STREAK*
[135-0, + 1 w/o W]
26 - Yui Kamiji, JPN (+1 w/o)
16 - Kgothatso Montjane, RSA
14 - Aniek Van Koot, NED
10 - Momoko Ohtani, JPN
9 - Jiske Griffioen, NED
7 - Angelica Bernal, COL
7 - Dana Mathewson, USA
6 - Lucy Shuker, GBR
4 - Katharina Kruger, GER
4 - Jordanne Whiley, GBR
3 - Macarena Cabrillana, CHI
3 - Pauline Deroulede, FRA
3 - Emmanuelle Morch, FRA
3 - Zhu Zhenzhen, CHN
2 - Viktoriia Lvova, RUS
2 - Cornelia Oosthuizan, GBR
2 - Saki Takamuro, JPN
2 - Manami Tanaka, JPN
2 - Maayan Zikri, ISR
1 - Shelby Baron, USA
1 - Nalani Buob, SUI
1 - Charlotte Fairbank, FRA
1 - Guo Luoyao, CHN
1 - Huang Jinlian, CHN
1 - Li Xiaohui, CHN
1 - Busra Un, TUR
1 - Britta Wend, GER
1 - Louie Charlotte Willerslev-Olsen, DEN
1 - Wang Ziying, CHN






TOP QUALIFIER: Alina Korneeva, RUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
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): 3rd Rd. - Linda Noskova/CZE def. #1 Iga Swiatek/POL 3-6/6-3/6-4 - 19-year old (#50) gets first #1 win; ends Swiatek's 18-match streak, and is earliest AO exit by #1 since 1979
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/DB/Jr.): Mixed Final - #3 Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL) def. #3 Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR) 6-7(5)/6-4 [11-9] - saved MPat 9-8 in MTB
=============================
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: 4r: Anisimova/USA; 3r: 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: Dayana Yastremska/UKR (in SF)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: McCartney Kessler/USA, Caroline Wozniacki/DEN (2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Storm Hunter/AUS (3rd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
IT (Ukrainians): Marta Kostyuk/UKR and Dayana Yastremska/UKR
COMEBACK PLAYER: Amanda Anisimova/USA
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: Nominees: Azarenka, Hsieh
LADY OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka (5-0 RLA night) and Linda Noskova/CZE (def. #1 Iga Swiatek)
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: "Crikey!" (Blinkova & Rybakina play slam record 42-point tie-break)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: L.Kichenok/Ostapenko, Hsieh
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Renata Jamrichova/SVK





All for now. More soon.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:01 PM 

5 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

The calendar golden slam is on for Sabalenka this year.

For Sabalenka's sake, I hope the similarities with Vika's career ends here.

Sabalenka may win more majors, but in my book, Vika will always remain as the GOAT Belarussian.

Sun Jan 28, 03:40:00 AM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Olympic Paris will be tough for Sabalenka (w/ Iga around), but she's surely put herself in position to contend for *every* major. So...

I tend to agree on the Vika/Aryna comparison. Azarenka stood toe-to-toe for awhile with S.Williams and Sharapova, after all.

Of course, the "*WTA* Numbers Guy" might have a differing opinion one future day. ;)

Sun Jan 28, 05:18:00 PM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

I don't see Aryna winning the French, but stranger things have happened.

Sun Jan 28, 06:55:00 PM EST  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Also, will Sabalenka even be eligible for the Olympics? I guess she will.

I don't think the ITF ban of RUS/BLR players in team events carries over the the Olympics, right?

Wed Jan 31, 02:24:00 AM EST  
Blogger Diane said...

Right. They can compete as individuals, just not under their flags.

Wed Jan 31, 10:00:00 AM EST  

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