Thursday, June 06, 2024

RG.12- Things That Go Iga in the Night

At this point, you have to wonder if Coco Gauff ever wakes up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, screaming "Iga!" so loudly that the word literally echoes down the hallway of whatever hotel she's sleeping in that week.




While Gauff will rise to #2 in the rankings on Monday, just (but still a long distance) behind you-know-who, it says something that if she actually *had* managed to topple Iga Swiatek in the Roland Garros semifinals on Thursday that it would have come as an even bigger surprise than either of the two monumental QF upsets from a day earlier that saw the #2 and #4 seeds sent out by first-time slam semifinalists.

A similar sentiment may have existed, even if she'd lost, had Gauff put a version of the pressure-to-rally on the world #1 that Naomi Osaka did last week in the 2nd Round in, quite frankly, the match that very likely put this particular tournament "on lockdown" once Swiatek managed to survive her own harrowing would-be nightmare on Chatrier court.

It just never felt like this one was *ever* going to be close, no matter how many times Tennis Channel's Lindsay Davenport openly pleaded to the Tennis Gods -- psst, that ish doesn't work -- over the past two weeks that Gauff was somehow *different* at this slam and really, most sincerely, *could* maybe take down Swiatek on her favorite surface, in her favorite event, on her favorite court, despite an overwhelming edge in their head-to-head series (going into today 10-1 for Iga, including 4-0 on clay without a set lost).

Make that 11-1, 5-0 and 10-of-10 sets. Yikes.

Of course, this whole situation is not an indictment (ooh, don't say that world around you-know-whats around here) of Gauff's career. At just 20, she's a slam winner, a former doubles #1 (and could still win this RG's WD title), a consistent big-event player (3 straight slam SF, now the longest streak on tour) and a legitimate "face of the franchise" sort of individual who the sport is and should be proud (and lucky) to have as a spokesperson. Plus, she's soon to be the world #2, and it's not by way of some Sakkarian accident, either.

But this Iga thing.

If something doesn't change it could hang over the head of Gauff's career like a Sword of Damocles, ala a certain Russian's 15-year winless run vs. a particular Compton native. Hall of Fame career or not, it's the sort of thing that an athlete would like to avoid at all costs. A perpetual sharp rock trapped in the shoe of a tennis life for all eternity. It can be ignored, but never, ever forgotten. And Gauff deserves better than that.

For her (and her team's) part, Gauff *did* try to change the course of that history in this match. Her gameplan was to be more aggressive, and hit harder. She was never going to Osaka/Rybakina/Sabalenka/Ostapenko Iga to the point of near-panic, but whatever she could do to strike quickly and/or rush the Pole could only help, right? It helped Gauff get some BP chances, but no breaks of serve. It then threatened to go too far (and just run her error total up) and then, well, by then it was just too late.

But they all get an "A" (well, a "B," maybe) for effort. Coco can (still) remember the lone win over Iga last summer, when Gauff was flying high above the clouds, and look to find another "in" for *the next time.* It'll surely come, and soon. As noted, she's the new #2 for a reason.

Be it ultimately a good or bad thing, she's going to get a *whole lot* of chances to reverse the narrative vs. Swiatek.

Thing is, Swiatek's gotten better, too. Not just since her RG life passed before her eyes early last week, but since she's worked to add MPH to her serve to make it more of a weapon (hmmm, that might come in handy on grass). And, right now, with Swiatek's form over the past few matches, it *would* take an act of the Tennis Gods for Gauff to have had a real shot today, and (sorry, Lindsay) They used up all the allotted answers to submitted wishes yesterday.

In the 1st set today, Gauff managed to get a few chances on Swiatek's serve, but the problem was that not only was Gauff not getting the breaks, but the Pole was handily breaking *her* serve at the same time as she was holding her own. Iga broke at 15 to open the match, then saved BPs in games 2 and 4 as she held for a 3-1 lead. A Coco DF handed Iga BP in game 5, and she converted on her second attempt. A blink later, Swiatek was up 5-1 and serving out the set at 6-2 in 36 minutes (4 less than a "full match Potapova," but not what Coco & Co. were looking for).

Early in the 2nd, Gauff caught a bit of a breeze behind her back when, up 2-1, she argued a call with the chair umpire, whom Coco said had overruled a line call on an Iga serve before Gauff had hit the ball (as in usually the case in these situations, Gauff was 100% correct). She lost the argument, but soon hit a down the line winner to win a BP, her first conversion of the day, to take a 3-1 lead.

Of course, the most difficult part of the hoped-for scenario was what would come next, and Gauff *did* then drop serve again a game later, then once more two games after that as Swiatek took a break lead. Serving down 5-3, Coco saved a pair of MP and got the hold, but Swiatek then took a 40/15 lead a game later at 5-4. On MP #4, Gauff sprayed a forehand wide and it was official, Swiatek had won yet again, by a 6-2/6-4 scoreline not all that dissimilar from the previous ten times the Pole had been victorious against her.



Swiatek's 20th straight win in Paris, her 18th in a row on clay this season, puts her into her third straight RG final, and fourth in five years. She'll try to match the three-peat feat of Monica Seles and Justine Henin, last accomplished in 2007, on Saturday.

5-1 vs the Top 10 on clay in '24 (8-1 vs. Top 20), Swiatek has compiled a frightening 76-6 record on the surface since the start of her maiden RG title run in 2020. The nearly three-event spotless streak in Paris now includes three wins over Gauff, more than over any other player (she's only beaten one other player more than once in the run, Lesia Tsurenko... though one of those came via retirement, as utterly shocking as that truly is not).



Swiatek goes on to possibly (likely) more glory in Paris, while Gauff (after the doubles) heads back to the grass, where it all began. As a 15-year old in 2019, and then as a 1st Round upset victim in a "last straw" defeat that spurred her on to her greatest career run last summer.

Might the loss today to Swiatek be another "last straw" after which things change in the series? Or maybe it'll be after the next one, or the one after that?

Hopefully it'll come *eventually*, or else Gauff's tennis life -- no matter how great -- might always be plagued by a little Iga whispering sour somethings into her ear for forever and a day.

Shhhhhh.




=DAY 12 NOTES=
...all right, Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva, after yesterday... whatta ya got?

As it turned out, for the Italian, still quite a bit.



After the first SF match-up of (as of Monday) the Top 2 players in the world, the unexpected semifinal took centerstage as Paolini, who'll soon officially be a Top 10 player, tried to add still more to what has *already* been a career year (including her *two* best slam results, biggest title ever at the 1000 in Dubai, and best career win over still-for-now #2 Aryna Sabalenka) while 17-year old Russian Andreeva, in not only her first slam semi (the youngest to be there in 27 years) but her first *at tour-level*, tried to see if she was ready for still *more* at such an early stage of her career.

It didn't take long to get some answers.

Paolini grabbed an early break lead in the 1st at 3-1, as Andreeva's uncharactistically high UE totals immediately put her in the position of playing catch-up. The Italian rallied from 15/40 down, saving three BP, to hold for 4-1; then two games later, after losing a 40/love lead and being forced to save two more BP, Paolini held again for 5-2. She served out the set at 6-3.

In the third game of the 2nd set, Andreeva fell behind love/40 on serve, and was down a break again when Paolini converted on her third BP to lead 2-1. While the teenage Hordette *was* ready to get to this stage of a major (w/ some help from an ill Aryna Sabalenka), she wasn't ready to take the next step. Not today. Not yet.

After breaking serve to go up 4-1, Paolini saved a BP in game 6 and held for a 5-1 lead. The BP proved to be Andreeva's last stand, as Paolini got a quick break in the following game to end the 6-3/6-1 affair.



28-year old Paolini, in her 18th slam MD, is the fifth Italian woman to reach a slam final (the third at RG), but the first since *two* (Pennetta and Vinci) faced off for the U.S. Open title in 2015.

Based on how smoothly she handled this previously untrodden ground today, maybe Paolini still had *more* to give. But with Iga on the other side of the net, will it matter?

...the first champions of this Roland Garros were crowned in the MX doubles title match on Thursday, and Laura Siegemund & Eduoard Roger-Vasselin picked up the trophies in their first event as a pair, defeating Desirae Krawczyk & Neal Skupski 6-4/7-5.



The German-French pair had reached the final after winning three straight MTB en route, and nearly were forced into a third here. They served for the match at 5-4, holding a MP, only to drop serve. But they got the break a game later and soon finished the job. It's the third career slam win for the 36-year old Siegemund, her first MX win since the 2016 U.S. Open; while Roger-Vasselin, 40, wins his second after claiming the men's doubles in Paris ten years ago.



...the junior semifinals will consist of a pair of Crusher-vs.-Bannerette face-offs, as top-seeded AO girls' champ Renata Jamrichova was knocked off by #12-seeded Czech Tereza Valentova, 6-3/6-2. Valentova will next face #4-seeded U.S. girl Tyra Caterina Grant (def. Jeline Vandromme) for a berth in the final. #3 Laura Samson fills the other Crusher spot after her 6-7(4)/6-4/7-5 win in 2:48 over #10 Iva Jovic. Bannerette Kristina Penickova defefeated Dutch junior Rose Marie Nijkamp in the other, all-unseeded QF.

...Diede de Groot is one win away from her 14th straight slam singles title after her 6-1/6-4 SF win today over her countrywoman and doubles partner, #4 Aniek Van Koot. She'll face Zhu Zhenzhen, who upset Momoko Ohtani 6-4/3-6/7-6(10-3) to reach her first slam singles final at age 34, for the title.

Zhu has beaten de Groot four times, but never on clay (0-4; they're 4-4 on hard court) and is 0-5 against the world #1 since her huge upset of de Groot in the opening round of the 2020 Australian Open.

...for the first time outside of the U.S. Open (2022-23), there is a junior wheelchair competition at a major. In RG's inaugural event, #1-seeded Pastry Ksenia Chasteau advanced to the final today, where she'll face the U.S.'s Maylee Phelps. Chasteau defeated Phelps in the U.S. Open junior WC final last summer.

As doubles partners, Chasteau & Phelps will play in the junior WC doubles final, as well (that was a given, as there were only two duos entered in the competition).

Says Chasteau in the clip below, "I would really like to put my name on this first edition of Roland-Garros."



Along with the expanded draws in the regular wheelchair events in the majors, this is a nice development and it'd be great to see junior play included at the AO and SW19, as well.

There won't be a regular wheelchair competition as this year's U.S. Open, as the Paralympic tournament schedule in Paris -- in an incredibly short-sighted move -- conflicts with that of the Open in New York.

One hoped that the success and attention that the wheelchair competitions got in 2021 during the last Olympic summer might have altered the long-time previous practice of scheduling the Paralympic tennis event (and/or Paralympics themselves) to take place during the second week of play of the U.S. Open, meaning the event was cancelled at the season's final tennis major in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Remember, the 2020 games in Tokyo were postponed due to the pandemic and when they finally did take place the following year the schedules no longer conflicted, meaning that both de Groot and Dylan Alcott (in the men's Quad event) were able to complete the first Golden Slam seasons ever for WC tennis with a sweep of all four majors and Paralympic Gold.

Naturally, those accomplishments got a great deal of attention (compared to what is usual for the sport). Wheelchair tennis is already the most visible international sport for disabled athletes (honestly, even more so than the Paralympics themselves), as the slam WC events are the only sports competition that I'm aware of in which para-athletes play at the same time, on the same grounds and often-times side-by-side with their able-bodied counterparts, along with all the additional media attention that comes with that, rather than in some special, carved-out separate event (even if it *is* held in the same *city* at the same venues, ala the Paralympics and maybe X Games?) a few weeks later.

After 2021, one would have thought that the Powers That Be -- usually the International Paralympic Committee, but in this case the ITF/USTA -- would not have been able to pass up the opportunity for such similar attention for the wheelchair tennis event during *every* Paralympic cycle (on the rising-tide-lifts-all-boats principle, if nothing else). After so many years of this conflict with arguably (but maybe not even that) the biggest individual para-sport in the world, if the Paralympics were held just a week earlier in the summer it'd help the athletes (who actually get prize money for their Open wins, which is surely beneficial in their careers).

With the '24 Paralympic event schedule set in direct conflict with the two weeks of the Open, the only way for the athletes to play *both* (as occurred in '21) would have been for the USTA/ITF to find a way to hold the event at a different time (maybe before or during Open qualifying prior to the U.S. Open, or even after the regular event in mid-September). Instead the whole thing was cancelled soon after last year's Open.

The Paralympic tennis event takes place from August 30 to September 7 (the games start on the 28th), while the U.S. Open is held from August 26 to September 8.

You'd think the USTA would have pushed for this long ago, considering the Open WC competition could be a "recruiting tool" for wheelchair athletes, as it continues to baffle how the U.S. can have so few top WC tennis competitors despite being a nation of so many para-athletes *and* with a long tennis history (culminating in what might be the biggest tennis event in the world *every* year in the country's biggest city).

I don't know what the plans are for this year's Open but, with the pros away, I *hope* they still hold the junior WC event at Flushing Meadows this summer. It's the least they could do (quite literally).





*WOMEN'S SINGLES FINAL*
#1 Iga Swiatek/POL vs. #12 Jasmine Paolini/ITA

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF=
#11 Errani/Paolini (ITA/ITA) vs. Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU)
#8 Dolehide/Krawczyk (USA/USA) vs. #5 Gauff/Siniakova (USA/CZE)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Siegemund/Roger-Vasselin (GER/FRA) def. #4 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR) 6-4/7-5

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Diede de Groot/NED vs. Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN

=WHEELCHAIR DOUBLES SF=
#1 Kamiji/Montjane (JPN/RSA) vs. Mathewson/Tanaka (USA/JPN)
Li Xiaohui/Zhu Zhenzhen (JPN/CHN) vs. #2 de Groot/Van Koot (NED/NED)

=GIRLS SINGLES SF=
#12 Tereza Valentova/CZE vs. #4 Tyra Caterina Grant/USA
#3 Laura Samson/CZE vs. Kristina Penickova/USA

=GIRLS DOUBLES SF=
#1 A.Kovackova/Samson (CZE/CZE) vs. #4 Grant/Jovic (USA/USA)
#3 Jamrichova/Valentova (SVK/CZE) vs. #5 Jones/Paganetti (AUS/ITA)

=WHEELCHAIR GIRLS SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Ksenia Chasteau/FRA vs. Maylee Phelps/USA

=WHEELCHAIR GIRLS DOUBLES FINAL=
Ksenia Chasteau/Maylee Phelps (FRA/USA) vs. Vitoria Miranda/Yuma Takamuro (BRA/JPN)







...TALK ABOUT SPLITTING HAIRS... ON DAY 12:



Technically, Vinci was the *last* Italian to do it, but only by a few hours, as she *faced* countrywoman Flavia Pennetta in that very final (who'd defeated Halep in the SF before Vinci upset Serena). Flavia should probably get a mention, don't you think? I mean, she *did* win the title.

Seriously, does OptaAce have someone new posting these things, because this is becoming an odd pattern.


...IN THOSE MAKE-BELIEVE "WTA. Simply irresistible." ads, one could be punctuated by Paolini's laugh over the final words on the screen... ON DAY 12:




...A WTA AD ALL BY ITSELF (so, you know, it'd never happen)... ON DAY 12:




...SVETA SIGHTING!!!... ON DAY 12:






























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*RG FINALS - active*
4...IGA SWIATEK (3-0)
3...Simona Halep (1-2)
1...Barbora Krejcikova (1-0)
1...Alona Ostapenko (1-0)
1...JASMINE PAOLINI (0-0)
1...Sara Errani (0-1)
1...Coco Gauff (0-1)
1...Sofia Kenin (0-1)
1...Karolina Muchova (0-1)
1...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (0-1)
1...Sloane Stephens (0-1)
1...Marketa Vondrousova (0-1)
1...Venus Williams (0-1)

*SWIATEK RESULTS IN SLAMS*
2019 5-4 (2r,4r,1r,2r)
2020 12-2 (4r,3r,W)
2021 13-4 (4r,QF,4r,4r)
2022 21-2 (SF,W,3r,W)
2023 17-3 (4r,W,QF,4r)
2024 8-1 (3r,in final)

*MADRID/ROME/RG FINALS (Madrid started '09)*
2009 Dinara Safina (W-W-RU)
2013 Serena Williams (W-W-W)
2017 Simona Halep (W-RU-RU)
2024 Iga Swiatek (W-W-?)

*LONG WTA (MD only) WINNING STREAKS - 2024*
18 - IGA SWIATEK (April-active)*
15 - Danielle Collins (March-April; ended by Sabalenka)
10 - Coco Gauff (January; ended by Sabalenka)
--
UNDEFEATED NOTE: Pliskova (9 WTA MD, walkover loss, then 2 more)

*LONGEST RG WIN STREAKS - OPEN ERA*
29...Chris Evert, 1974-75/79-81
25...Monica Seles, 1990-92/96
24...Justine Henin, 2005-07/10
20...IGA SWIATEK, 2022-current
20...Steffi Graf, 1987-89
19...Chris Evert, 1985-87
18...Steffi Graf, 1995-97

*RECENT WTA CLAY STREAKS - since 2000*
28 - Serena Williams, 2013
27 - Justine Henin, 2005-06
21 - Maria Sharapova, 2012-13
19 - Venus Williams, 2004
18 - IGA SWIATEK, 2024
18 - Iga Swiatek, 2022

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2024*
5 - IGA SWIATEK (4-0)
5 - Elena Rybakina (3-2)
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (1-3)
3 - Danielle Collins (2-1)
3 - Dasha Kasatkina (0-3)
2 - Alona Ostapenko (2-0)
2 - JASMINE PAOLINI (1-0)
2 - Marta Kostyuk (0-2)

*MOST WTA FINALS - 2020-24*
25 - 1/2/9/8/5 = SWIATEK (21-3)
19 - 3/3/3/6/4 = Sabalenka (9-10)
17 - 5/0/3/4/5 = Rybakina (7-10)
12 - 1/7/4/0 ret...Kontaveit (5-6-1)
12 - 0/3/6/3/0 = Jabeur (5-7)
11 - 0/4/3/4/0 = Krejcikova (7-4)
11 - 0/4/2/2/2 = Kasatkina (4-7)

*CAREER SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE*
16...Venus Williams (7-9)
5...Simona Halep (2-3)
5...Victoria Azarenka (2-3)
4...Naomi Osaka (4-0)
5...IGA SWIATEK (4-0)
4...Angelique Kerber (3-1)
3...Petra Kvitova (2-1)
3...Aryna Sabalenka (2-1)
3...Caroline Wozniacki (1-2)
3...Ons Jabeur (0-3)

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s, BY NATION*
6 - USA (2-4) [RG 0-2]
5 - POL (4-0) [RG 3-0]*
4 - BLE (2-2)
4 - CZE (2-2) [RG 1-1]
3 - TUN (0-3)
2 - AUS (2-0)
2 - JPN (2-0)
2 - KAS (1-1)
1 - GBR (1-0)
1 - ITA (0-0) [RG 0-0]*
1 - CAN (0-1)
1 - CHN (0-1)
1 - ESP (0-1)
1 - RUS (0-1) [RG 0-1]

*SLAM FINALS IN 2020s*
5 - 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 - JASMINE PAOLINI, ITA (0-0)*
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)

*"FIRST SLAM..." FEATS IN 2020s*
=F=
2020 AO - Sofia Kenin, USA (12th slam MD)
2020 RG - Iga Swiatek, POL (7th)
2021 AO - Jennifer Brady, USA (15th)
2021 RG - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (52nd)
2021 RG - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (5th)
2021 US - Leylah Fernandez, CAN (7th)
2021 US - Emma Raducanu, GBR (2nd)
2022 AO - Danielle Collins, USA (17th)
2022 RG - Coco Gauff, USA (10th)
2022 WI - Ons Jabeur, TUN (21st)
2022 WI - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (12th)
2023 AO - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (20th)
2023 RG - Karolina Muchova, CZE (17th)
2024 AO - Zheng Qinwen, CHN (9th)
2024 RG - Jasmine Paolini, ITA (18th)

*LOW-SEEDED RG FINALISTS - since 2000*
unseeded...Alona Ostapenko, 2017 (W)
unseeded...Marketa Vondrousova, 2019
unseeded...Iga Swiatek, 2020 (W)
unseeded...Barbora Krejcikova, 2021 (W)
unseeded...Karolina Muchova, 2023
#31...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 2021
#21...Sara Errani, 2012
#21...Mary Pierce, 2005 (W)
#18...Coco Gauff, 2022
#17...Francesca Schiavone, 2010 (W)
#13...Lucie Safarova, 2015
#12...JASMINE PAOLINI, 2024
#10...Sloane Stephens, 2018
#10...Justine Henin, 2005 (W)

*ITALIANS IN SLAM FINALS*
2 - Francesca Schiavone (1-1)
1 - Flavia Pennetta (1-0)
1 - JASMINE PAOLINI (0-0)
1 - Sara Errani (0-1)
1 - Roberta Vinci (0-1)

*RUSSIANS IN SLAM SF - post-USSR*
20..Maria Sharapova (10-10)
8...Elena Dementieva (2-6)
5...Svetlana Kuznetsova (4-1)
5...Dinara Safina (3-2)
4...Vera Zvonareva (2-2)
2...Ekaterina Makarova (0-2)
1...W: Myskina,Pavlyuchenkova
1...L: M.Andreeva,Chakvetadze,Kasatkina
1...L: Kournikova,Likhovsteva,Petrova,Vesnina
--
OVERALL: 23-30

*RECENT RG MX DOUBLES CHAMPIONS*
2015 Bethanie Mattek-Sands & Mike Bryan, USA/USA
2016 Martina Hingis & Leander Paes, SUI/IND
2017 Gaby Dabrowski & Rohan Bopanna, CAN/IND
2018 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2019 Latisha Chan & Ivan Dodig, TPE/CRO
2020 DNP
2021 Desirae Krawczyk & Joe Salisbury, USA/GBR
2022 Ena Shibahara & Wesley Koolhof, JPN/NED
2023 Miyu Kato & Tim Puetz, JPN/GER
2024 Laura Siegemund & Edouard Roger-Vasselin, GER/FRA
[2020s SLAMS]
2020 AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Nikola Mektic (CZE/CRO)
2021 AO: Barbora Krejcikova/Rajeev Ram (CZE/USA)
2021 RG: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
2021 WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
2021 US: Desirae Krawczyk/Joe Salisbury (USA/GBR)
2022 AO: Kristina Mladenovic/Ivan Dodig (FRA/CRO)
2022 RG: Ena Shibahara/Wesley Koolhof (JPN/NED)
2022 WI: Desirae Krawczyk/Neal Skupski (USA/GBR)
2022 US: Storm Sanders/John Peers (AUS/AUS)
2023 AO: Luisa Stefani/Rafael Matos (BRA/BRA)
2023 RG: Miyu Kato/Tim Puetz (JPN/GER)
2023 WI: Lyudmyla Kichenok/Mate Pavic (UKR/CRO)
2023 US: Anna Danilina/Harri Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN)
2024 AO: Hsieh Su-wei/Jan Zielinski (TPE/POL)
2024 RG: Laura Siegemund & Edouard Roger-Vasselin (GER/FRA)

*SLAM MX TITLES - active*
4...Desirae Krawczyk, USA
4...Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
3...Latisha Chan, TPE
3...Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
3...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Gaby Dabrowski, CAN
2...LAURA SIEGEMUND, GER
2...Venus Williams, USA
2...Vera Zvonareva, RUS






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TOP QUALIFIER: Jule Niemeier/GER
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR (7 games lost in 1r/2r)
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): #1 Iga Swiatek/POL (8 games lost 3r-QF)
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: Raluca Serban/CYP def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 3-6/6-4/7-6(13-11) - both served for win in 3rd, w/ Salkova 2 MP, then third in TB; Serban wins 24-point MTB
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #1 Swiatek/POL def. (PR) Osaka/JPN 7-6(1)/1-6/7-5 - Osaka led in 3rd at 4-1 w/ pt. for 5-1, 5-2 up, served at 5-3 and had MP
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): 4th Rd. - #1 Iga Swiatek/POL def. Anastasia Potapova/RUS 6-0/6-0 (10 points lost total; 40 minutes)
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Donna Vekic/CRO (def. Tsurenko/UKR ret.)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Veronika Kudermetova/RUS (1r: Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Moyuka Uchijima/JPN (2nd MD)
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: China
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Germany (1-5 1st Rd.)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Olga Danilovic/SRB (in 4th Rd.)
LUCKY LOSER WINS: Hailey Baptiste/USA, Jana Fett/CRO (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Chloe Paquet/FRA (3rd Rd.)
PROTECTED RANKING WINS: 3rd Rd.: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Irina-Camelia Begu/ROU; 2nd Rd.: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Naomi Osaka/JPN
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Varvara Gracheva (in 4th Rd.)
Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: Jasmine Paolini/ITA
IT "Teen": Mirra Andreeva/RUS
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Osaka, Errani
CRASH & BURN: #6 Maria Sakkari/GRE (lost 1st Rd. 4 of 5 slams)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Iga Swiatek/POL (2nd Rd.: down 4-1 -- pt. for 5-1 -- and 5-2 vs. Osaka in 3rd; Osaka MP at 5-3)
DOUBLES STAR: Nominees: Krawczyk(mx/wd), Siegemund(mx), (wd)
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: Errani(wd), Siegemund(mx), (Legends comp.)
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Mirra Andreeva/RUS and Victoria Azarenka/BLR (1 a.m. 2r finish on Court 12)
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
Légion de Lenglen: Firsts (Court Lenglen roof debuts, and Varvara Gracheva's first RG as FRA) and Last (Alize Cornet's farewell tournament)
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Nominee: Iga attempt at first three-peat since Henin in 2007






All for Day 12. More tomorrow.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:22 PM 

3 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

Mirra couldn't bring the required level to defeat Paolini. Mirra's forehand is average, even though her backhand is amazing. She also needs to improve her serve.

The Queen's RG three-peat is a mere formality now.

The real final was Osaka-Swiatek.

Fri Jun 07, 05:11:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Diane said...

"Sakkarian accident" sounds, for all the world, like a newly discovered concept that scientists must rush to get into the physics textbooks. "The sudden flashes of light, seen most clearly over the Mediterranean, are neither stars nor UAPs, but rather, they comprise the phenomenon known as a Sakkarian accident."

Fri Jun 07, 09:48:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

K-
Sure feels like that and it sort of did at the time, too.

Not that I think Osaka would have gone on to win, but *everything* changes if Iga isn't there (not just the different match-ups, but the likely different results due to the pressure of knowing that Swiatek *wasn't* there to face in a future round, causing eyes to maybe get a little *too* big looking ahead).


D-
Haha. I hear those mysterious lights occur just four times every year (except for that one year when they appeared only twice... scientists attributed it to a rare aligning of planets). ;)


BTW, I removed the wins-over-#1/#2-in-a-major list since it was Andreeva with the #2 win in the QF (not Paolini). (Bonks head.) I had the list ready in case Mirra won, and then forgot why I'd retrieved it in the first place. :/

Fri Jun 07, 01:32:00 PM EDT  

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