Sunday, June 16, 2024

Wk.24- Splendor on the Grass







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*WEEK 24 CHAMPIONS*
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND (WTA 250/Grass Outdoor)
S: Katie Boulter/GBR def. Karolina Pliskova/CZE 4-6/6-3/6-2
D: Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe (CAN/NZL) def. Harriet Dart/Diane Parry (GBR/FRA) 5-7/6-3 [11-9]
ROSMALAN, NETHERLANDS (WTA 250/Grass Outdoor)
S: Liudmila Samsonova/RUS def. Bianca Andreescu/CAN 4-6/6-3/7-5
D: Ingrid Neel/Bibiane Schoofs (EST/NED) def. Tereza Mihalikova/Olivia Nicholls (SVK/GBR) 7-6(6)/6-3
VALENCIA, SPAIN (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Ann Li/USA def. Viktoriya Tomova/BUL 6-4/6-3
D: Katarzyna Piter/Fanny Stollar (POL/HUN) def. Angelica Moratelli/Renata Zarazua (ITA/NEX) 6-1/4-6 [10-8]




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Katie Boulter/GBR
...as it turns out, the second time *is* just as sweet.

A year ago in Nottingham, Boulter emerged from an ongoing comeback from a back injury to claim her maiden title, on English grass, against a British opponent in the final (a first in a tour event since 1977).

Since then, save for one great week in San Diego in March (when she grabbed a big 500 title w/ a five-win effort, including a comeback from a set down in the final vs. Marta Kostyuk), Boulter came into the this grass season at just 21-19 in all her other tour-level (i.e. non-BJK) events combined. So the home cooking again proved beneficial.

After battling 3:13 to take out Harriet Dart in her opening match, Boulter reeled off straight sets wins over Rebecca Marino and Magdalena Frech. After dropping a 15-13 1st set TB to Emma Raducanu in the semis on Saturday, rain finally stopped that match. When play resumed on Sunday, Boulter swept the final two sets to return to the final.

Once there, again Boulter fell down a set to Karolina Pliskova, but came back strong to drop just five games in the 2nd and 3rd to defend her title and win her third career WTA crown. It was her third (of five) wins in Nottingham this week after dropping the opening set.

After never facing a player ranked above #131 en route to her title last year, Boulter knocked off a former slam champion and former #1/slam finalist this time around.

3-0 in career WTA finals, the 27-year old has yet to convert that success to the slam stage. Boulter is without a second week result in a major (she's reached consecutive Wimbledon 3rd Rounds), and exited in the 2nd and 1st in Melbourne and Paris earlier this year.


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RISERS: Liudmila Samsonova/RUS and Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS
...it is very nearly "Samsonova time," as this week's result proves out.

Most players' seasons begin in January, but Samsonova has gotten into the habit of waiting until mid-to-late spring to kick things into gear. That time of the year is just about now.

In 2022, she started 10-14 and didn't hit her stride until the summer hard court season, going on a 20-3 sprint while winning three titles. Last year, a 12-12 start was eventually transformed into an 18-8 finish that included three finals. With her appearance (and win) in the final at Rosmalen this week, seven of the Hordette's eight career tour finals have come from June forward on the schedule.

Samsonova came into 's-Hertogenbosch at just 10-13 on the season, but found her form with a 1 & 3 win over Surbiton champ Alison Van Uytvanck, then wins over Celine Naef and Greet Minnen, the latter her first in four meetings vs. the Waffle. On Saturday, Samsonova faced compatriot and two-time defending champ Alexandrova, who won a 2nd set to force a 3rd to be played on Sunday morning. Samsonova won the decider to advance to the final.

Facing Bianca Andreescus, Samsonova dropped the opening set, but gradually seized control of the match, at least until the very end when the Canadian got a late break to put things back on serve (and even led 5-4) before the Russian swept the final three games.

The win is Samonova's fifth career tour title, but first since her big '22 summer rush.



Alexandrova came into Rosmalen as the two-time defending champ. She couldn't keep on her Iga mask all week to three-peat, though.

Wins over Arina Rodionova, Emina Bektas and Robin Montgomery got the Hordette within a match of another 's-Hertogenbosch final, but after taking a 2nd set TB on Saturday to force a 3rd set vs. Samsonova on Sunday, it was the latter who won the one-set, pre-final duel. This was Alexandrova's fourth SF+ result of the season, and it thankfully ushers her way out of what was a horrid clay campaign (1-6).

Last year, Alexandrova rode her Rosmalen (W) and Berlin (SF) momentum into her first slam Round of 16 at Wimbledon. She's 22-6 on grass from 2021-24 (hopefully that's good news, what with her two 1st Round slam exits so far this year).


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SURPRISES: Dalma Galfi/HUN and Francesca Jones/GBR
...Galfi, though a former U.S. Open junior champ (2015), has shown an affinity for grass in recent years (she was also a two-time Wimbledon girls doubles finalist, winning in '15). Over the past two seasons, she'd gone 11-5 on the lawns, and she opened her '24 stint with another good result at Rosmalen.

The 25-year old Hungarian (#138) qualified with two victories, then got past the likes of Arantxa Rus, Veronika Kudermetova and former tournament champ Aleksandra Krunic to reach the SF, her first on tour since 2021 (Budapest). She fell in straights to the healthy-and-in-increasingly-good-form Bianca Andreescu, but will jump back into the Top 120 on Monday.

In Nottingham, Jones came to town having never won a pro match on grass (0-7). The current world #249 corrected that concern, though, and passed through the British tennis rite of passage by playing into the QF with wins over Bannerettes Caroline Dolehide and Ashlyn Krueger.

Having seen her recent seasons hampered by injuries, Jones was already ill and playing with a sore shoulder, then saw the rain pile up matches that pushed her QF match vs. Emma Raducanu to Saturday. She made a business decision and decided to withdraw, but one has to wonder if this still might be enough for her to garner one of the AELTC's MD wild cards at Wimbledon for a second time. She made her SW19 MD debut in '21, losing respectfully in two sets to Coco Gauff, 6-4/7-5.


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VETERANS: Karolina Pliskova/CZE and Aleksandra Krunic/SRB
...if things fall a certain way at SW19, might Pliskova get one final, eleventh-hour shot at taking care of some unfinished business?

A big Wimbledon run isn't *likely*, but the Czech has surely reasserted her presence on tour this season. Her Cluj title run in February ended her three and a half year title drought, a nine-match winning (and 11-match undefeated) streak showed that she has the stamina to string together many victories, and this week in Nottingham she reminded everyone that she *does* have a history of success on grass, including three titles and three runners-up in tour level events on the surface (including at Wimbledon in 2021).

The 32-year old old powered her way into her 34th career tour final behind wins over Alycia Parks, Heather Watson (w/ 13 aces) and Diane Parry (from a set down, then 0-2 in the 3rd). Against defending champ Katie Boulter in the final, Pliskova took the opening set but saw the Brit rally to win in three. The loss levels the Czech's career record in tour finals at 17-17.

For the record, Pliskova will need to raise her game for any sort of slam success. Since her consecutive QF at the '22 US and '23 AO, she's posted 1r-1r-2r-1r-1r results in slam play (and is just 1-2 at Wimbledon since reaching the final).



All hail, The Bracelet.

Krunic won her lone WTA singles title on the grass at Rosmalen back in 2018, but the 31-year old is currently still on the way back from the ruptured ACL she suffered in September 2022. She returned to the court last summer, but played sparingly (just 16 matches, going 8-8) last season, though she produced a $40K QF run and 6-2 stretch in September/October. But after beginning her 2024 season in 2023 (literally, on December 29 in Brisbane qualifying) it took her until her Miami qualifying run in March to get on the board with a "W." She defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Bernarda Pera, then lost to Laura Siegemund in three sets in the 1st Round.

A 3-0 BJK Cup stint followed as Krunic experienced a 12-5 run before falling in the RG 1st Round (Volynets). She's gained some form in doubles this spring, reaching a $100K final in Tokyo (April) and winning on the grass at $100K Surbiton last weekend (w/ Emina Bektas) to close out a week in which she didn't play singles.

In her first post-Paris singles event, the Serb (using her PR) got three-set wins over Pastry Jessika Ponchet and top-seeded world #5 Jessie Pegula at Rosmalen, the latter Krunic's first Top 10 victory (fifth overall) since 2018 (def. Svitolina in Beijing).



The upset of Pegula apparently took a lot out of Krunic, who fell to Dalma Galfi in the QF, then lost in the opening round of Berlin qualifying to Sasnovich on Saturday in her fourth match in five days (her heaviest workload of the season). Still, with a 14-7 mark in her last 21 matches, she'll climb from #400 to around #318 on Monday.
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COMEBACKS: Bianca Andreescu/CAN and Emma Raducanu/GBR
...and after an encouraging performance at Roland Garros in her first event back after a nine-month absence, Andreescu follows up with her first singles final since 2022. That previous event, in Bad Homburg, was also on grass, just like the Canadian's run this week at Rosmalen in 's-Hertogenbosch.

A #228-ranked wild card, Andreescu defeated Yuan Yue in the 2nd Round, setting up her first meeting with Naomi Osaka in nearly five years. After squandering a 5-2 lead in the 3rd, Andreescu rallied from a mini-break down at 3-2 in the deciding TB, sweeping the final five points to reach her first SF since January of last year. A win over Dalma Galfi put her into just her third tour final since winning the U.S. Open in 2019.

After winning the 1st set over Liudmila Samsonova, Andreescu was treated for a thigh injury early in the 2nd, yet after dropping the set and falling down a break in the 3rd managed to take an on-serve 5-4 lead before the Russian finally managed to take her down on what was Andreescu's 24th birthday.

Hopefully, the injury is just the result of a strong week of play after a long absence, and not something that turns out to be more than anticipated that keeps her out for a few weeks, or lingers and slows her once again, never allowing Andreescu to find her true form. We've seen that particular scenario play out far too many times over the past few years.



Meanwhile, back on the surface where "Emma-mania" (both the good and bad versions) first began three years ago (w/ a $100K Nottingham QF and Wimbledon 4th Round *before* her shocking U.S. Open title run), Raducanu hit the court for the first time since losing in the opening round in Madrid more than a month and a half ago.

The 21-year old snagged wins over Ena Shibahara and Daria Snigur to reach her first WTA grass QF, then got a walkover from Francesca Jones to reach the semis. In a match played out over Saturday and Sunday, Radacanu won a 28-point 1st set TB over defending champ Katie Boulter, saw play stopped for the day (after she -- hopefully -- narrowly avoided injury with several falls on the slick track), then dropped both sets (playing with strapping on her knee) vs. her fellow Brit when play resumed before the scheduled final later in the day.

Raducanu came into the week ranked #209, but reached her first WTA semi since 2022 in Seoul. She's now 1-2 in tour-level semis, with her lone win coming during her qualifier-to-slam-champ run in New York. She'll be back in the Top 170 on Monday.


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FRESH FACES: Diane Parry/FRA and Robin Montgomery/USA
...at times, the 21-year old Parry seems to have the makings to be France's top player (she's already the most pleasant to watch, what with her smooth one-handed backhand). She's currently #3, just a bit behind #2 Clara Burel. Caroline Garcia has been the top Pastry for quite a while now, but has not been near her peak (barely over .500) in 2024. So far, none of the younger players have been consistent enough to seize the moment and make a big push (though Varvara Gracheva came the closest so far in Paris).

Parry had a good week in Nottingham, reaching her first SF of the season with wins over Cristina Bucsa, Dasha Saville and Kimberly Birrell. She had a real shot to reach her maiden tour singles final, having taken an 11-9 1st set TB over Karolina Pliskova (who'd served for the set and had 2 SP) in the SF, and then leading the veteran Czech 2-0 in the 3rd set before ultimately being outplayed down the stretch.

Still, this run included Parry's first tour-level SF in eleven months and will push her close to a return to the Top 50 (she's just a few spots out). She reached her career high of #49 in April, but there seems to be quite a bit more room for improvement there.

Parry completed her weekend by playing in the doubles final alongside Harriet Dart, but failed to grab career win #3 when the pair lost to Gaby Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe in an 11-9 MTB.



The highest-ranked U.S. teen, 19-year old Montgomery's progression over the course of '24 has been clear for all to see. She started the year with a SF in a $35K event. By February, she was playing in a 125 QF. In March, she qualified at Indian Wells, then in April posted her best career 1000 result with a 3rd Round in Madrid (where she took eventual finalist Aryna Sabalenka, who'd have 3 MP vs. Swiatek, to three sets). Now it's June, and the D.C. native has reached her maiden tour QF at Rosmalen.

Montgomery, who reached a 125 SF on grass last year at Gaiba, posted wins this week over Magda Linette and former Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jule Niemeier, but fell in a Saturday QF vs. defending champ Ekaterina Alexandrova.



The '21 U.S. Open junior champ, Montgomery will climb back into the Top 150 this week, with an eye on getting her first MD win (whether she's there via a WC or otherwise) in the women's draw at Flushing Meadows.
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DOWN: Zhu Lin/CHN and Veronika Kudermetova/RUS
...Zhu had everything in front of her at the start of 2024. She was coming off a season in which she'd reached her career high (#31 in September), posted five slam MD wins (she'd previously had 4 in her career from 2014-22), reached her first two tour finals, got her first Top 10 victories (2), and played into the second week at a major for the first time.

Zhu began the year at 8-4, even with a disappointing 1st Round exit in Melbourne (she reached the 4th Rd. in '23), and rebounded from the AO by reaching her third tour-level singles final in Hua Hin. It's pretty much *all* been downhill since then.

Aside from an undefeated week in BJK Cup zone play (3-0), Zhu has gone 1-14 in singles MD since reaching the HH final, including seven straight defeats with her three-set loss in Nottingham this past week to Lucrezia Stefanini. In the loss to the Italian, Zhu had led 4-2 in the 3rd set.

In Rosmalen, Kudermetova's poor '24 continued, as the Hordette fell in a 7-5 3rd set to Dalma Galfi in the 2nd Round.

Kudermetova reached the QF of Charleston in April in her only multi-win event of the season, but the Galfi loss dropped her to 2-6 since, and put her at 8-14 on the year. She ended '23 by losing three of five matches after winning the Tokyo title last fall.

In weekend Berlin qualifying, Kudermetova took a step in the right direction. It'd been troublesome if she hadn't, to be truthful. She played her way into the MD, but only had to go through local wild card Anica Stabel (whose last pro singles match was in 2018) and Kayla Day (whose Q1 win over Arina Rodionova was just her second win on grass... ever).
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ITF PLAYER: Sara Saito/JPN
...as I wondered last year (and maybe the year before), after Surbiton last week and Ilkley next, why is there no $100K grass event *this* week?

There was a $100K challenger this week, only on clay in Biarritz. 17-year old Saito won it, defeating Margaux Rouvroy 5-7/6-3/6-3 to claim her second (and biggest) pro title.

Saito goes into next week as, at #166, the fourth highest-ranked played under age 18. She's just a few points behind Alina Korneeva, with the only two ranked higher being named Andreeva (#23 Mirra) and Fruhvirtova (#89 Brenda).


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JUNIOR STAR: Mayu Crossley/JPN
...the big grass court junior events await, but until then Crossley -- 18 and with her junior eligibility dwindling -- picked up the J300 win in Bamberg (GER) on clay.

In an odd set up, Crossley (former girls' #5) had to go through qualifying to reach the MD, but once she did was installed as the #1 seed. She took the title without dropping a set over her seven Q/MD outings, defeating Brazilian Victoria Luiza Barros 6-4/7-5 in the final.

This is Crossley's fifth career J300/J1 crown. Earlier this year she shined over the Brazilian event combo, winning the J300 Porto Alegre title and reaching the J500 Banana Bowl final.

Crossley has verbally committed to play tennis for UCLA in the fall.
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DOUBLES: Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, CAN/NZL
...the U.S. Open champs just last summer, Dabrowski & Routliffe picked up their third title together (first of '24) in Nottingham, winning an 11-9 MTB over Harriet Dart & Diane Parry in the final.

The win adds to Dabrowski's extensive grass court trophy collection, as she's won tour titles in the past in Eastbourne and Mallorca, and been runner-up at Wimbledon and this same Nottingham tournament. This is her 16th WTA crown.

A grass finalist two years ago in Bad Homburg, Routliffe's sixth title in her first on the lawns.


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WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
...things both remained the same and returned to normal on the wheelchair tour in Week 24, as de Groot won *two* titles once again *and* she defeated Yui Kamiji in a singles final to do it.

In the French Riviera Open -- a name that conjures up thoughts of Suzanne Lenglen in *my* mind -- de Groot rolled through four opponents without dropping a set, including Kgothatso Montjane, Aniek Van Koot and Kamiji (7-5/6-4), to claim her 40th consecutive singles title. She's now won 142 straight singles matches in non-team events.

Kamiji had defeated Jiske Griffioen to set up her 61st career match vs. de Groot, only to fall to 15-46 in those meetings with her 28th straight loss vs. the world #1 (1-35 in the last 36).

In doubles, de Groot & Van Koot defeated Li Xiaohui & Zhu Zhenzhen 6-2/6-3 to take the title. De Groot is 17-0 in completed doubles matches in '24. She's 10-0 w/ Van Koot, with whom she's won 30 of their last 32 matches as a duo.
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1. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Tatjana Maria def. Emiliana Arango
...4-6/7-6(7)/7-6(6). In 3:24, Maria wins after trailing 3-1 in both the 2nd and 3rd sets, saving six total MP to avenge a loss to the Colombian earlier this year in Miami.

Arango led 6-5 with two MP chances in the 2nd, then took a 6-4 lead in the TB and held three more in the breaker. She didn't fall away in the 3rd once the German veteran rallied again, and held her 6th MP at 6-5 in the deciding TB but saw Maria sweep the final three points to get the win.

The 36-year old Maria is no fly-by-night grass court phenom. She won a tour title in Mallorca on grass in 2018, reached a 125 final in Gaiba last year, and in 2022 was a Wimbledon semifinalist.
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2. Nottingham SF - Katie Boulter def. Emma Raducanu
...6-7(13)/6-3/6-4. A year ago, Boulter had to take down fellow Brit Jodie Burrage in the final to *win* her maiden tour title at Nottingham. This year, though also on a Sunday, she had to rally to defeat another in Raducanu just to return to the final.

The match had been carried over past Saturday due to the constant rain interruptions throughout the week. Saturday had seen Raducanu, though slipping and falling on the wet grass (including just before play was stopped), stage a comeback from 4-1 down (saving 3 SP) in the 1st set TB, winning 15-13 on her own sixth SP.

When they returned to finish things a day later, Raducanu had strapping on the knee she'd twisted the day before. She continued to fight, erasing Boulter's break lead of 4-2, then denying her when she served for the match at 5-4.

Boulter then broke Raducanu's serve to end the match, heading back to the final for her first WTA title defense attempt.


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3. Rosmalen Final - Liudmila Samsonova def. Bianca Andreescu
...4-6/6-3/7-5. Andreescu's long road got her into the final, but the length of that road maybe played a part in leaving her without the big trophy in hand at the end of the week.

The Canadian claimed the opening set, but the wear and tear began to show soon afterward in the form of an MTO at 0-3 in the 2nd. After emerging from behind the scenes with a wrapped thigh, Andreescu dropped the set to Samsonova. The Hordette took a break lead at 4-3 in the 3rd, but it's not in Andreescu's nature to stop fighting. So she broke right back, then saved three BP to hold for 5-4.

Samsonova ultimately took the final three games to seal away the title, but it's still Andreescu that everyone's eyes are on. Is this the start of something good? Can she stay on the court? Is this injury something that might linger into Wimbledon?

A certain German once said Saint Bibi was a "drama queen," and it's hard to argue it. But at least she comes by it naturally (and with good reason). Clearly, her journey has been (and will surely continue to be) an emotional one.


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4. Rosmalen 2nd Rd. - Aleksandra Krunic def. Jessie Pegula
...7-6(3)/6-7(3)/6-4. Krunic's comeback from knee surgery gets its first big win, as the Serb takes down the #1 seed to get her first Top 10 victory in six years.

In her first event since BJK Cup play in April, Pegula had led here 4-2 in the 1st, but lost in a TB. The world #5 led 5-3 in the 2nd, only to see Krunic force another TB. Pegula survived, but saw Krunic take a break lead at 3-1 in the 3rd and never face another BP.


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5. Valencia 125 2nd Rd. - Laura Pigossi def. Rebecca Sramkova
...7-6(5)/6-7(6)/7-6(10). During the clay season, Pigossi lost a pair of matches (including vs. Kostyuk at RG) after leading or being in good position when rain stopped play. She faced a similar situation here, again on clay, but managed to slip through the trap this time around.

Sramkova led 5-1 in 1st, held two SP, and twice served for the set before Pigossi stole it in a 7-5 TB. Sramkova led 3-0 in the 2nd when rain stopped play. When play picked up again, the Brazilian surged ahead and twice serve for the match. She also led 4-2 in the TB, but couldn't get it done as Sramkova won 8-6 to take things to a 3rd.

Another TB came in the decider, and Sramkova held five MP -- at 6-4, 6-5, 7-6, 8-7 and 10-9 -- while Pigossi held her own at 9-8 with things still undecided.

Pigossi's final surge proved to be the differnce, as she took the final three points from 10-9 down, winning on MP #2 at 12-10.


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6. Rosmalen Final - Ingrid Neel/Bibiane Schoofs def. Tereza Mihalikova/Olivia Nicholls
...7-6(6)/6-3. The pair take their first title together, with 36-year old Schoofs (w/ WTA win #3, five years after she'd lost in the 's-Hertogenbosch WD final in '19) becoming the first Dutch champ in the event since Demi Schuurs in '18.

For Neel, WTA title #4 is her second on grass (Nottingham w/ Eikeri last year).


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7. Valencia 125 Final - Ann Li def. Viktoriya Tomova
...6-4/6-3. Three seasons ago, Li looked to be a player on the move. She reached the Grampians final in Australia (the final was cancelled since rain had pushed it too close to the start of the AO, so she and Anett Kontaveit shared the "finalist/runners-up" honors), won her maiden WTA event (Tenerife) later in the year and reached the Top 50. She was one of the tour's Newcomer of the Year nominees.

Li entered this week at #172, having gone a combined 52-48 the last two seasons. This win is her first singles title on any level since '21. With five match wins that raise her season mark over .500 to 19-14, she'll be back inside the Top 150 on Monday.



Meanwhile, Tomova's quiet climb continues, after previously this year reaching the Rabat SF on clay, playing in her first hard court WTA QF, and posting her maiden Top 20 win (Alexandrova/RG). After her third career 125 final, the Bulgarian will be at a new career high inside the Top 65.
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8. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Robin Montgomery def. Magda Linette
...6-7(4)/6-3/5-5). Montgomery's QF run out of qualifying was primed by this victory, during which she charged out of a rain delay at 5-5 in the 3rd to break Linette and then hold from 15/40 down (saving 5 BP) to get the win.


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9. $35K Gdarisk POL Final - Barbora Palicova def. Kajsa Rinaldo Persson
...6-2/1-0 ret. Another week, another Crusher champion. This time it's Palicova, with the 20-year old picking up her fourth career win (second in '24).



Meanwhile, the doubles was won by the other end of the Czech tennis generational spectrum, as 40-year old Renata Voracova (w/ countrywoman Karolina Kubanova, 23) took home career ITF doubles crown #58 (to go along w/ 11 at tour-level, and 3 125s), her first win in two years.

Voracova won the Roland Garros girls' doubles crown 23 years ago... about a week after Iga Swiatek was born.
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10. $15K San Diego USA Final - Fiona Crawley def. Sara Daavettila
...6-4/1-6/6-3. Crawley wins the battle of North Carolina Tar Heel alums, as the former NCAA #1 picks up her third career ITF title.
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1. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Naomi Osaka def. Elise Mertens
...6-2/6-4. The U.S. Open is still the target, but Osaka continues to keep (at least) a step ahead of expectations.


Like with Roland Garros, Osaka's best career result at Wimbledon is just the 3rd Round. But I'm sure a certain Pole wouldn't want to see her in the 2nd Round again at the AELTC.
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2. Rosmalen QF - Bianca Andreescu def. Naomi Osaka
...6-4/3-6/7-6(3). This was their first meeting since 2019, when Osaka got the win in the Beijing QF to end Andreescu's 16-match winning streak (which had included her U.S. Open win, part of a *45-5* season mark on hard court that year).

Much like when Osaka faced Iga in Paris, things came to a head in the 3rd. The Canadian led 5-2, but couldn't serve out the win a game later. Things went to a deciding TB, where Osaka held a mini-break lead at 3-2 before Andreescu ran off five straight points to end the match.


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3. Nottingham QF - Karolina Pliskova def. Ons Jabeur
...7-6(8)/6-7(3)/7-5. Jabeur is looking more and more familiar the nearer we get to the start of the slam at which she's reached the last two finals (she's also won pre-SW19 grass crowns in Birmingham in '21, and Berlin in '22).

This one turned on just a few points. Jabeur had had a break lead in the 1st, and a pair of SP in the TB. In the 3rd, Pliskova got a well-timed break for a 6-5 lead just before play was stopped due to rain. Upon their return, Pliskova rallied from 15/40 down to serve out the win.

She didn't claim this one, but Jabeur was back to being her crowd-pleasing self all week long. In the 1st Round vs. Camila Osorio...



And Linda Fruhvirtova in the 2nd Round...


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4. Nottingham Final - Katie Boulter def. Karolina Pliskova
...4-6/6-3/6-2. Boulter authors the fifth successful title defense of a WTA singles crown in 2024, but the first by a non-slam winner (following in the footsteps of Gauff, Sabalenka and Swiatek twice).

The last woman to repeat at the Nottingham champ was someone named Billie Jean all the way back in 1973. The tournament was an ITF event then, and after that season wasn't held again in any form until 2011.


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5. Rosmalen 2nd Rd. - Naomi Osaka def. Suzan Lamens
...6-2/6-2. Hmmm...



All right, we're six months into this comeback, I think we can stop with the first description of Osaka being as a returning mom. The near-miss in Paris should have made what happens (or has happened) *on* the court the first line in any reference.

Let's see... "former #1," "four-time slam champ." Those would work.

By the way, this represented Osaka's first consecutive wins on grass since the 1st and 2nd Round of Wimbledon in 2018.
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HM- $75K Guimaraes POR Final - Francisca Jorge def. Liv Hovde
...6-3/6-4. Earlier this spring, Jorge (w/ sister Matilde) won the two biggest doubles titles of her career (WTA 125 & $100K). This week she updated her singles resume.

The Portuguese woman's $75K win is the sixth and biggest of her career. She and Matilde lost in the doubles final.


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Meanwhile (from 2023)...









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*2024 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
5 - Iga Swiatek, POL = Slam(1), 1000(4)
3 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ = 500(3)
2 - KAITE BOULTER, GBR = 500,250
2 - Danielle Collins, USA = 1000,500
2 - Alona Ostapenko, LAT = 500(2)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2024*
5 - Iga Swiatek (5-0)
5 - Elena Rybakina (3-2)
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (1-3)
3 - Danielle Collins (2-1)
3 - Dasha Kasatkina (0-3)
2 - KATIE BOULTER (2-0)
2 - Alona Ostapenko (2-0)
2 - Jasmine Paolini (1-1)
2 - KAROLINA PLISKOVA (1-1)
2 - Marta Kostyuk (0-2)

*NOTTINGHAM SINGLES CHAMPS - GBR*
2011 Elena Baltacha
2013 Elena Baltacha
2021 Johanna Konta
2023 Katie Boulter
2024 Katie Boulter

*WTA GRASS TITLES - 2020s*
2 - Ekaterina Alexandrova (0/0/1/1/0)
2 - KATIE BOULTER (0/0/0/1/1)
2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia (0/0/2/0/0)
2 - Ons Jabeur (0/1/1/0/0)
2 - Petra Kvitova (0/0/1/1/0)
2 - Alona Ostapenko (0/1/0/1/0)
2 - LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA (0/1/0/0/1)

*2020-24 LOW-RANKED WTA FINALISTS*
#508 - Elina Svitolina = 2023 Strasbourg (W)
#283 - Leonie Kung = 2020 Hua Hin
#272 - Genie Bouchard = 2020 Istanbul
#246 - Maria Timofeeva = 2023 Budapest (W)
#237 - Tatjana Maria = 2022 Bogota (W)
#228 - BIANCA ANDREESCU = 2024 Rosmalen
#212 - Laura Pigossi = 2022 Bogota
#207 - Noma Noha Akugue = 2023 Hamburg

*2024 LOW-RANKED SEMIFINALISTS - #100+*
#228 - BIANCA ANDREESCU (Rosmalen, RU)
#209 - EMMA RADUCANU (Nottingham, SF)
#195 - Dasha Saville (Hobart, SF)
#138 - DALMA GALFI (Rosmalen, SF)
#117 - Sara Errani (Bogota, SF)
#108 - Diana Shnaider (Hua Hin, W)
#105 - Kamilla Rakhimova (Rabat, SF)
#103 - Harriet Dart (Cluj-Napoca, SF)

*2024 OLDEST WTA FINALISTS*
32 - Magda Linette (Rouen -L)
32 - KAROLINA PLISKOVA (Nottingham -L)
31 - Karolina Pliskova (Cluj-Napoca -W)
31 - Ana Bogdan (Cluj-Napoca -L)
31 - Sloane Stephens (Rouen -W)

*CAREER WTA TITLES - RUS (active)*
12 - Anstasia Pavlyuchenkova
12 - Vera Zvonareva
6 - Dasha Kasatkina
5 - LIUDMILA SAMSONOVA
4 - Ekaterina Alexandrova

*2024 REPEAT WTA WS CHAMPS*
Coco Gauff - Auckland
Aryna Sabalenka - Australian Open
Iga Swiatek - Doha (3 con.)
Iga Swiatek - Roland Garros (3 con.)
KATIE BOULTER - Nottingham

*2024 WTA TITLES, MOST SURFACES*
2 - Danielle Collins = Hard,Green Clay
2 - Elena Rybakina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Iga Swiatek = Hard,Red Clay
2 - KATIE BOULTER = Hard,Grass
[finals]
3 - Danielle Collins = Hard,Green Clay,Red Clay
2 - Dasha Kasatkina = Hard,Green Clay
2 - Marta Kostyuk = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Elena Rybakina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Iga Swiatek = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Aryna Sabalenka = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Jasmine Paolini = Hard,Red Clay
2 - KATIE BOULTER = Hard,Grass
2 - KAROLINA PLISKOVA = Hard,Grass

*2024 WTA DOUBLES FINALS - DUOS*
3...Errani/Paolini (2-1)
3...Melichar-Martinez/Perez (1-2)
2...Hsieh/Mertens (2-0)
2...Kenin/Mattek-Sands (2-0)
2...DABROWSKI/ROUTLIFFE (1-1)
2...Hunter/Siniakova (1-1)
2...L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (1-1)
2...Guo/Jiang (0-2)






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OHMYGOD! You killed Kenny! You bastards!




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It's almost like you probably shouldn't publicly attack families who lost their children in a school shooting, accusing them of lying and saying that the event never happened. Go figure.




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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:39 PM 

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