Sunday, January 19, 2025

AO25 - Commanding the Court


18 consecutive wins at the AO. 24 consecutive sets. That’s an understatement to say that Sabalenka likes it down under 🦘 She has now reached a 10th grand slam QF since 2020, more than anybody. 31 wins in her last 32 GS matches. Dominant. 🐅 Def. M. Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 ——— 📸 Australian Open

[image or embed]

— 🎾Tennis Clubhouse (@thetennisclubhouse.bsky.social) January 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM







=AO NOTES=
...if we didn't know it already, after four rounds, this Australian Open championship sure looks like it's going to be going through Aryna Sabalenka.

The #1 seed posted her most impressive result of the event so far on Sunday, handling #14-seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1/6-2, maneuvering through the Hordette's brief period of contention in the 2nd set -- just as she did when Jessica Bouzas Maneiro led 5-2 in the 2nd set in the 2nd Round, and Clara Tauson had chances to win both sets in the 3rd -- when she saved four BP and held for a 4-2 lead. Andreeva didn't claim another game the remainder of the match.



Sabalenka remains undefeated in 2025 (9-0), and in Melbourne the last three years (18-0, with a 24-set winning streak). She's 31-1 in hard court major action since 2023 (36-2 back to the '22 U.S.). With the QF up next, Sabalenka will walk into the arena with a 9-1 record at that stage in her slam career.

Waiting for the Belarusian there will be another Russian, #27-seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who closed out a no-break 1st set vs. #18 Donna Vekic by claiming a 7-0 tie-break, then blanked the Croatian (who was dealing w/ an issue with her knee) in the 2nd to win 7-6(0)/6-0.



This is Pavlyuchenkova's first AO quarterfinal since 2020, which occurred at the end of a stretch when she reached three in four years in Melbourne.



...Coco Gauff, like Sabalenka, has yet to lose in 2025. The #3 seed did see her 18-set winning streak (back to the WTAF) ended by Belinda Bencic in the 1st of their Round of 16 match, as the Swiss succeeded on her second try to serve out the opener. But Gauff assumed control of the contest after that, winning 5-7/6-2/6-1 to reach the AO QF for a second straight year.



Gauff will face #11 Paula Badosa, who'll get a second chance in a second straight major to reach her maiden slam semifinal. The Spaniard rallied from 5-2 down in the 2nd set against Olga Danilovic to win in straights.

In that previous QF at the U.S. Open, she led Emma Navarro 5-1 in the 2nd only to collapse and drop the final six games to lose in two. In Badosa's first slam QF, at the '21 Roland Garros, she had a break lead in the 3rd vs. Tamara Zidansek before losing 8-6.

...in the juniors, with the 1st Round complete, #2 seed Mika Stojsavljevic (the Brit who won the U.S. Open girls' title last summer) is already out by the hand of Romanian Anamaria Federica Oana. Meanwhile, top seeded '24 finalist Emerson Jones (AUS) is still alive, as is #3 Jeline Vandromme (BEL), just off her Traralgon title run, and #4 Wakana Sonobe of Japan ('24 U.S. finalist).

...in ITF action, Hordette Tatiana Prozorova (New Delhi) and Waffle Hanne Vandwinkel (La Marsa, TUN) picked up the two biggest event titles with $50K wins. Prozorova won a $100K crown in September, but had to fight off 6 MP vs. Panna Udvardy to get a title half as big this time around.



Elli Mandlik, daughter of Hana Mandlikova, won a $35K in Palm Coast, Florida, to improve to 8-2 in career ITF finals; and, of course, it was another week, another Crusher champion, as Eliska Tichackova, 18, grabbed up her maiden pro title in the Antalya $15K.

One player who won't be involved in the Crusher roundabout any longer is Linda Klimovicova, as the 20-year old began representing Poland late in 2024 (with so many players to serve, ala the Russians years ago, I suspect she won't be the last of them to seek assistance and priority under another flag). Klimovicova reached her first final since the change this week, coming up short vs. Vandewinkel.

For a second straight weekend, Canada's Victoria Mboko and Bannerette Clervie Ngounoue will face off for an ITF crown in France. Last week, Mboko won a 7-5/6-3 final in Le Lamentin (Martinique), and the two will go again on Sunday in Petit Bourg (Guadeloupe).





...UMM, CAN WE RETIRE THE "What It Means" THING? PRETTY PLEASE. It's starting to feel like a bad WTA marketing campaign at this point.:




...IT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THAT PICKLEBALL PRACTICE, I BET:




...AND STARRING IN "WHO'S THAT GIRL? II"...:




...TBH, I THINK THE GUY WAS *TRYING* TO BE FUNNY (but, you be you):



That said, it's difficult to be against the notion of -- at least in their opinion -- someone holding others accountable when it comes to maintaining (or not) some level of respect. Too many players get a pass on showing very little of it to opponents, but that doesn't mean others shouldn't be called out for versions of similar "offenses," as well.


...I'D SAY SOMETHING SURPRISING (FOR THIS SPACE) WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEN'S COMPETITION, BUT THAT'D BE THE KISS OF DEATH AS FAR AS IT ACTUALLY HAPPENING (so I won't):




...CROSSING FINGERS:












=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS
#27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. #18 Donna Vekic/CRO
#3 Coco Gauff/USA def. (PR) Belinda Bencic/SUI
#11 Paula Badosa/ESP def. Olga Danilovic/SRB
#6 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #19 Madison Keys/USA
Veronika Kudermetova/RUS vs. #28 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#8 Emma Navarro/USA vs. #9 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
(LL) Eva Lys/GER vs. #2 Iga Swiatek/POL

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. #16 Fernandez/N.Kichenok (CAN/UKR)
#9 Mladenovic/Zhang Shuai (FRA/CHN) vs. #5 Chan H-c./L.Kichenok (TPE/UKR)
M.Andreeva/Shnaider (RUS/RUS) vs. (WC) Birrell/Gadecki (AUS/AUS)
Wang Xinyu/Zheng Saisai (CHN/CHN) vs. Rakhimova/Sorribes Tormo (RUS/ESP)
Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU) def. #12 Guo Hanyu/Panova (CHN/RUS)
#3 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT) def. #13 Babos/Melichar-Martinez (HUN/USA)
Kato/Zarazua (JPN/MEX) def. #7 Muhammad/Schuurs (USA/NED)
#15 Haddad Maia/Siegemund (BRA/GER) vs. #2 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Nicholls/Patten (GBR/GBR) def. #1 Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
Khromacheva/Withrow (RUS/USA) vs. #6 Hsieh/Zielinski (TPE/POL)
#3 Perez/Krawietz (AUS/GER) vs. (WC) Hon/Bolt (AUS/AUS)
(WC) Birrell/J-P.Smith (AUS/AUS) def. #7 Schuurs/Puetz (NED/GER)
Babos/Arevalo (HUN/ELS) vs. (WC) Gadecki/Peers (AUS/AUS)
Zhang Shuai/Bopanna (CHN/IND) w/o #4 Townsend/Nys (USA/MON)
#8 Muhammad/Molteni (USA/ARG) def. Danilina/Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN)
Panova/Glasspool (RUS/GBR) vs. #2 Routliffe/Venus (NZL/NZL)

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES 1st Rd.=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN vs. (WC) Shiori Funamizu/JPN
Lizzy de Greef/NED vs. Macarena Cabrillana/CHI
#4 Jiske Griffioen/NED vs. TBD
Li Xiaohui/CHN vs. Manami Tanaka/JPN
Saki Takamuro/JPN vs. Angelica Bernal/COL
TBD vs. Wang Ziying/CHN
Kgothatso Montjane/RSA vs. (WC) Lucy Shuker/GBR
Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN vs. #2 Aniek Van Koot/NED






















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**AO "AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD" WINNERS**
=2020=
["Good On Ya, Mate"] Aces for Bushfire Relief
=2021=
["G'Day, Naomi"] Naomi Osaka & the "good luck" butterfly
=2022=
["Freakin' Hell?"] Tennis Australia sides with unvaccinated Novak Djokovic, but bans visible support for Peng Shuai
=2023=
["Don't Spit the Dummy"] One year after Ash Barty is first Aussie AO champ in 44 years, #160 Fourlis is highest ranked AUS in MD; only two AUS wild cards get 1r wins, none go past 2r
=2024=
["Crikey!"] Anna Blinkova & Elena Rybakina play slam record 42-point tie-break
=2025=
["A right corker"] The "Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal" erupts when Iga Swiatek says she prefers the cafe offerings of Sydney

**RECENT AO "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS**
2016 "The Dasha Show" (Gavrilova)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Elise Mertens, BEL
2019 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (3:12am finish)
2020 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2021 Simona Halep, ROU
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2:17am finish)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR and Linda Noskova, CZE
2025 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR & Jelena Dokic (Laver dancing)





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Washington made it to the NFC championship 5x in 10 years when I was a kid. You think “it’s always going to be this way.” And then it’s not. For a looong time. So you put that part of your fandom away, thinking you’ll never use it again. Then … this. And you’re a kid again. And it is glorious.

— Will Graves AP (@willgravesap.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM


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TOP QUALIFIER: Maja Chwalinska, POL
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 7-6(3)/5-7/7-6(12-10) - Chwalinska in 3:23, was down a break twice in the 3rd. Salkova served for the win at 5-4, led 7-3 in the deciding MTB and held a pair of MP.
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. Peyton Stearns/USA 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/7-5 - 3:22 between former NCAA champs; Stearns up set and 2-0, up 5-3 in 3rd and served at 5-4; Navarro wins 16/19 points to end
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS (def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Linda Noskova/CZE (1st Rd.- Tauson/DEN)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Destanee Aiava/AUS (6th MD), Talia Gibson/AUS (2nd MD), Suzan Lamens/NED (1st MD), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK (5th MD)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Belinda Bencic/SUI (4th Rd.) (2r-Birrell/AUS, Kovinic/MNE)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: Eva Lys/GER (in 4r) (2r-Dart/GBR)
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Germany
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Czech Republic (1-4 1st Rd.; Kvitova/Pliskova/Krejcikova DNP; Vondrousova; Bouzkova First Loss; Noskova First Seed Out; Beljek 0-5 slam MD)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Destanee Aiava/AUS and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS(L) and Zhang Shuai/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT (TBD): x
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Bencic, V.Kudermetova
CRASH & BURN: #5 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2r- 2024 finalist and Olympic Gold medalist out in 2 sets vs. Siegemund/GER)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Eva Lys/GER (LL added to MD on Day 3 ten minutes before start of 1r match; reaches 4th Rd. for first time at a major)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominee: Pavlyuchenkova, Keys, Svitolina
LADY OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR & Jelena Dokic (dancing on Laver)
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: ["A right corker"] The "Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal" erupts when Iga Swiatek says she prefers the cafe offerings of Sydney
DOUBLES STAR: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x





All for now. More soon.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 1:46 PM  5 comments

Saturday, January 18, 2025

AO25 - Eva's New Lys on Life Lives On










=AO NOTES=
...while she's made some headlines for her coffee choices and the like, Iga Swiatek has sort of slid under the radar through the first week in Melbourne. The #2 seed -- her first at a major since the 2022 AO (when Ash Barty was #1 and active) after eleven straight top seeds -- has so far looked pretty good on her. Maybe never more so than in her 3rd Rounder vs. Emma Raducanu.

Swiatek's total games lost at this AO, round by round, has shrunk from 7 (1r vs. Siniakova) to 2 (2r vs. Sramkova) to 1 (3r vs. Raducanu) as the first week has progressed. The Pole's 6-1/6-0 win over the Brit gives Swiatek two consecutive slam Round of 16 runs for the first time since she reached all four in 2023 (part of a string of five majors in a row with 4r-or-better results).



Swiatek's next opponent is *still* enjoying her "new Lys on life" at this slam.

Yep, Eva Lys did it. She defeated Jaqueline Cristian by a 4-6/6-3/6-3 score to become the first lucky loser to reach the AO Round of 16 in the Open era (it's been done at two of the other three majors, RG and the U.S.). Well, at least it seems that she's done so, unless someone digs out a more detailed, dusty (and probably coffee-stained) past AO draw out of some cluttered drawer of a forgotten filing cabinet tucked away in a locked room in some abandoned (and maybe condemned) building somewhere in Australia, I suppose (more on that in a moment).



You see, that's such an odd way of saying what Lys has accomplished ("since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988"). I suspect part of this is because the AO didn't even *have* seven rounds (and, hence, a 4th Round) until 1987, but if you extend it back to when the 3rd Round was the AO "Round of 16" then you can say it's never happened in the Open era (unless the widely available draws from the first two decades of the Open era are currently mislabeled and an equally successful lucky loser does not have "LL" next to her name in the results, that is).

This made me pull out one of the old Guide to Professional Tennis yearbooks to give that a check, and I didn't see anything that said otherwise there, either. So it seems that it hasn't happened since the start of the AO's Open era history in 1969.

Of course, some records from those early years *are* notoriously sketchy, with the latest example being Zhang Shuai's "record" 24-match losing streak that ended last year -- and, for that matter, Vincent Spadea's previous "all-time tennis record" of 21 set in 1999-00, as well -- both of which were individually widely reported for more than two decades (first one, then the other) as the longest ever in the history of the tennis tours through (at least) mid-September of last year.

Then, by the end of that same September, when Zhang finally recorded a win, the WTA began to note that a "forgotten" player named Madeleine Pegel had lost 29 straight from 1968-72, so Zhang's streak became (for now, I guess) the *second*-longest streak. (I didn't even catch up with that news until recently.)

Kudos to whomever individual was who dug that long-ago losing streak out of the dirt, checked and double-checked it, and "updated" a record that went more than half a century without a correction. The only question is, in a sport that highlights such accomplishments on a regular basis, why hasn't the tour (and the ATP, too, I guess) done a truly *deep* dive to get *every* record such as that sized up by putting those early years' results in line so many decades after the fact? "Forgotten" streaks shouldn't come out of the woodwork 50 years later, when everyone looks to the tours to keep such things straight for everyone else. IMHO.

Later, the BBC's online coverage *did* say Lys was the first at the AO in the Open era, so, at least until further notice, she does seem to be the most successful AO LL ever. Stay tuned, though.

...#8 Emma Navarro was pushed to three sets for the third straight time at this AO, but again she prevailed, defeating Ons Jabeur 6-4/3-6/6-4. Navarro has won seven of her last eight three-set matches dating back to last year, and has won her last six in slam competition, where she's won eight of nine three-setters since the start of last year (her only loss: in last year's AO 3r to Dayana Yastremska).



This marks Navarro's fourth consecutive Round of 16 at a major (completing her Career Round of 16 slam in her 9th major MD), and she's still in line to have a shot to improve upon her previous slam result for what would be a fifth straight time. She'd have to reach the final to do it, though, having posted 1r-3r-4r-QF-SF finishes at the last five slams.

...quite the opposite of Navarro's recent slam results, Veronika Kudermetova came into Melbourne having lost in the 1st Round at five straight majors and at six of the last seven. Veronika's little sister Polina, who reached her maiden tour final in Week 1 (Brisbane) and passed her big sibling by in the rankings, maybe gets an "assist" here, but the senior Kudermetova is alive and well in the Round of 16 (the third of her career, at a third different major) after a straight sets win over #15 Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Family dynamics are surely interesting, aren't they?



Hordettes fill a quarter of the final sixteen spots remaining in the women's draw.





...RYBAKINA IS THROUGH, but she was treated for a back injury mid-match... uh-oh):




...AND THAT'S A "CAREER ROUND OF 16 SLAM" FOR DASHA (in MD #36):




...THE FUNNY THING IS...:

A year ago, Jasmine Paolini would have been happy with a 3rd Round result as it would have been the best of her major career. Now, it's her worst performance since 2023 and she's the highest seed to exit in the opening week.




...SINCE EVERYONE IN MELBOURNE IS TALKING ABOUT COFFEE THIS WEEK, I THINK WE COULD USE A STIMULATING SHOT OF *GOOD* SLOANE SOON:



She won her two most recent titles in February (2022) and April (2024), so...



...A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF LYS' JOURNEY SO FAR AT THIS AO (of course, Iga is up next, so...):




...SLAM "PROP PICK" UPDATE:

My pre-AO slam "Prop Pick" is still alive heading into the second week, with the likes of Swiatek, Gauff and Rybakina the Last Potential Winners Standing if I'm going to get my "champion prediction" correct for a third straight major since I went to this (I think, a bit more interesting... or at least it leaves more wiggle room that an all-or-nothing champion pick that might blow up on Day 5) format for trying to narrow down a possible winner before the start of play.

=SLAM "PROP PICK" PREDICTIONS=

TRT TOURNAMENT WINNER... YES or NO?
24 WI A Top 4 seed won't win the title YES (#31 Krejcikova)
24 US Winner will be a Top 6 seed (five times since 2015, U.S. won by a player outside the Top 6) YES (#2 Sabalenka)
25 AO Winner will be a past slam champion, but not a former AO winner (i.e. no 3-peat for Sabalenka) ??










=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS
#27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS vs. #18 Donna Vekic/CRO
#3 Coco Gauff/USA vs. (PR) Belinda Bencic/SUI
#11 Paula Badosa/ESP vs. Olga Danilovic/SRB
#6 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #19 Madison Keys/USA
Veronika Kudermetova/RUS vs. #28 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#8 Emma Navarro/USA vs. #9 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
(LL) Eva Lys/GER vs. #2 Iga Swiatek/POL

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. #16 Fernandez/N.Kichenok (CAN/UKR)
#9 Mladenovic/Zhang Shuai (FRA/CHN) vs. #5 Chan H-c./L.Kichenok (TPE/UKR)
x vs. (WC) Birrell/Gadecki (AUS/AUS)
x vs. Rakhimova/Sorribes Tormo (RUS/ESP)
Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU) vs. #12 Guo Hanyu/Panova (CHN/RUS)
#13 Babos/Melichar-Martinez (HUN/USA) vs. #3 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT)
#7 Muhammad/Schuurs (USA/NED) vs. Kato/Zarazua (JPN/MEX)
x vs. #2 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA) vs. Nicholls/Patten (GBR/GBR)
Khromacheva/Withrow (RUS/USA) vs. #6 Hsieh/Zielinski (TPE/POL)
#3 Perez/Krawietz (AUS/GER) vs. (WC) Hon/Bolt (AUS/AUS)
(WC) Birrell/J-P.Smith (AUS/AUS) vs. #7 Schuurs/Puetz (NED/GER)
Babos/Arevalo (HUN/ELS) vs. (WC) Gadecki/Peers (AUS/AUS)
Zhang Shuai/Bopanna (CHN/IND) vs. #4 Townsend/Nys (USA/MON)
#8 Muhammad/Molteni (USA/ARG) vs. Danilina/Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN)
Panova/Glasspool (RUS/GBR) vs. #2 Routliffe/Venus (NZL/NZL)






















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*2025 AO FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 - Aryna Sabalenka
#2 - Iga Swiatek
#3 - Coco Gauff
#7 - Elena Rybakina
#8 - Emma Navarro
#10 - Dasha Kasatkina
#12 - Paula Badosa
#14 - Madison Keys
#15 - Mirra Andreeva
#19 - Donna Vekic
#27 - Elina Svitolina
#32 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
#55 - Olga Danilovic
#75 - Veronika Kudermetova
#128 - Eva Lys (LL)
#294 - Belinda Bencic (PR)

[by age]
17 = M.Andreeva
20 = Gauff
23 = Danilovic, Lys, Navarro, Swiatek
25 = Rybakina
26 = Sabalenka
27 = Badosa, Bencic, Kasatkina, V.Kudermetova
28 = Vekic
29 = Keys
30 = Svitolina
33 = Pavlyuchenkova

[by nation]
4...RUS (M.Andreeva,Kasatkina,V.Kudermetova,Pavlyuchenkova)
3...USA (Gauff,Keys,Navarro)
1...BLR (Sabalenka)
1...CRO (Vekic)
1...ESP (Badosa)
1...GER (Lys)
1...KAZ (Rybakina)
1...POL (Swiatek)
1...SRB (Danilovic)
1...SUI (Bencic)
1...UKR (Svitolina)

[by career slam Round-of-16s]
21 - Keys
19 - Svitolina
17 - Swiatek
14 - Gauff, Sabalenka
11 - Pavlyuchenkova
10 - Bencic
8 - Badosa, Rybakina, Vekic
7 - Kasatkina
4 - M.Andreeva, Navarro
3 - V.Kudermetova
2 - Danilovic
1 - Lys

[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16s]
6 - Gauff
4 - Navarro
3 - Badosa, Vekic
2 - Sabalenka (last 9 played, DNP Wimb.'24), Swiatek
--
NOTE: Bencic (1, DNP 2024 slams; last 3 played)

[w/ multiple career AO Round of 16s]
6 - Keys
5 - Sabalenka, Svitolina, Swiatek
4 - Gauff, Pavlyuchenkova
3 - Bencic, Vekic
2 - M.Andreeva, Badosa, Rybakina

[w/ consecutive AO Round of 16s]
5 - Sabalenka
3 - Gauff
2 - M.Andreeva, Svitolina
--
NOTE: Bencic (last 2 played; DNP 2024)

[WTA career slam Round of 16s - active]
50...Venus Williams
30...Victoria Azarenka
23...Petra Kvitova
23...Caroline Wozniacki
22...Simona Halep
21...Madison Keys*
19...Elina Svitolina*
16...Sloane Stephens
17...Iga Swiatek*
16...Vera Zvonareva
14..Coco Gauff*
14...Elise Mertens
14...Karolina Pliskova
14...Aryna Sabalenka*
11...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova*
10...Belinda Bencic*
10...Ons Jabeur
10...Kaia Kanepi

[multiple WTA slam Round of 16s since 2020 (of 20) - active]
16 - Swiatek*
14 - Sabalenka*
12 - Gauff*
10 - Jabeur
9 - Mertens, Svitolina*
8 - Badosa*, Krejcikova, Pegula
8 - Rybakina*
7 - Azarenka, Keys*
6 - Halep, Muchova
5 - Bencic*, Kvitova, Pavlyuchenkova*
5 - Sakkari, Vekic*, Vondrousova
4 - M.Andreeva*, Anisimova, Collins, Garcia
4 - Kasatkina*, Kenin, Navarro*, Ostapenko
4 - Paolini, Ka.Pliskova, Zheng Q.
3 - Cirstea, Haddad Maia, V.Kudermetova*
3 - Raducanu, Samsonova
3 - Stephens, Tomljanovic, Zhang Sh.
2 - Avanesyan, Bouzkova, Brady, Danilovic*
2 - Fernandez, Kalinskaya, Kostyuk
2 - Martic, Niemeier, Osaka, Putintseva
2 - Riske-A., Trevisan
2 - Tsurenko, Wang Xinyu, Wozniacki

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - unseeded]
=AO (4)=
Bencic(PR), Danilovic, V.Kudermetova, Lys(LL)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - 1st-time GS 4th Rd.]
AO - (1) Lys

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - completed "Career Round of 16 Slam"]
AO - Dasha Kasatkina (36th slam MD), Emma Navarro (9)

[2025 slam Rd. of 16s - by region]
6 = (6/-/-/-) - W.Europe/Scandinavia (CRO-ESP-GER-POL-SRB-SUI)
6 = (6/-/-/-) - Eastern Europe/Russia (BLR-RUS-UKR)
3 = (3/-/-/-) - North America/Atlantic (USA)
1 = (1/-/-/-) - Asia/Oceania (KAZ)
0 = (0/-/-/-) - Africa/Middle East/Mediterranean
0 = (0/-/-/-) - South America







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Thanks to @anntelnaes.bsky.social for this gem:

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— AFinRenoFightsBack (@callyson.bsky.social) January 18, 2025 at 12:50 AM


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TOP QUALIFIER: Maja Chwalinska, POL
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 7-6(3)/5-7/7-6(12-10) - Chwalinska in 3:23, was down a break twice in the 3rd. Salkova served for the win at 5-4, led 7-3 in the deciding MTB and held a pair of MP.
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. Peyton Stearns/USA 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/7-5 - 3:22 between former NCAA champs; Stearns up set and 2-0, up 5-3 in 3rd and served at 5-4; Navarro wins 16/19 points to end
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS (def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Linda Noskova/CZE (1st Rd.- Tauson/DEN)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Destanee Aiava/AUS (6th MD), Talia Gibson/AUS (2nd MD), Suzan Lamens/NED (1st MD), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK (5th MD)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Belinda Bencic/SUI (in 4r) (2r-Birrell/AUS, Kovinic/MNE)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: Eva Lys/GER (in 4r) (2r-Dart/GBR)
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Germany
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Czech Republic (1-4 1st Rd.; Kvitova/Pliskova/Krejcikova DNP; Vondrousova; Bouzkova First Loss; Noskova First Seed Out; Beljek 0-5 slam MD)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Destanee Aiava/AUS and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS(L) and Zhang Shuai/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT (TBD): x
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Bencic, V.Kudermetova
CRASH & BURN: #5 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2r- 2024 finalist and Olympic Gold medalist out in 2 sets vs. Siegemund/GER)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Eva Lys/GER (LL added to MD on Day 3 ten minutes before start of 1r match; reaches 4th Rd. for first time at a major)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominee: Pavlyuchenkova, Keys, Svitolina
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Sabalenka/Dokic
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: Nominees: Aiava dons iconic Ivanovic/Sharapova dress designs during Q-run; The Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal
DOUBLES STAR: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x





All for now. More soon.

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posted by Todd.Spiker @ 2:55 PM  3 comments

Friday, January 17, 2025

AO25 - O Say, Sabalenka Can Now See

Aryna Sabalenka came to Rod Laver Arena on Friday. She saw, and also conquered. But there was quite a bit in between.



The two-time defending champ and #1 seed's 3rd Round face-off with Denmark's Clara Tauson was exactly what it was expected to be, a match-up of power that is the definition of what's called (or used to be, at least) "big babe tennis." We didn't see the ace-fest that some might anticipated (only three were hit combined, all from Tauson, and none in the 1st set) -- though Sabalenka's post-match comments about Laver's slow surface likley explains much of that -- but we got a bit hitting, tight-on-the-scoreboard affair the brought some pre-middle weekend clarity regarding Sabalenka's attempt at the first AO title three-peat since 1999.

In that, the Belarusian showed precisely why she sits atop the rankings. The former damaging-emotions-on-her-sleeve version of Sabalenka remains in the past, or is glimpsed only briefly these days, with the old sense of impending disaster having been replaced by something close to a sense of inevitability due to the honed skill of a champion who now knows how to keep the proverbial train on the tracks en route to bringing home a victory in the clutch.

Meanwhile, after another good showing in which Tauson got an up-close glimpse of where *she* needs to be, the Dane now exits the big stage and gets the chance to recalibrate a bit in preparation for her next opportunity.

The two women both won Week 1 titles earlier this month, and came into the day a combined 14-0 on the season. In something of a surprise, the match began with seven straight breaks of serve before Tauson finally notched the maiden hold, taking a 5-3 lead.



But with her back against the wall, Sabalenka proved to be, well, Sabalenka. And at this point that means something very different than what it might have meant a few seasons ago.

After a hold of her own (at love), Sabalenka got the break to level the set a game later. Tauson, who'd netted a backhand on BP, reacted angrily to squandering her chance to put away the set (call her the "anti-Navarrro," ie. she shows a bit *too* much emotion in the moment, and for a few too many points after), and seemed to briefly lose her focus. At the same instant, the world #1 dialed in, getting a second straight love hold to take a 6-5 lead.

Sabalenka ripped a crosscourt forehand to reach SP on Tauson's serve in the following game, but the Dane didn't give up the fight, saving four BP/SP in all (in a variety of ways, with a big serve, a passing shot after a drop, a shot at the net, and then with a service winner). Another big Tauson serve ricocheted off Sabalenka's racket frame and hit the Laver stadium roof, giving the Dane her first GP. Sabalenka caught a line to keep the game alive, but Tauson got the hold on her second chance, forcing a TB.

Sabalenka grabbed the early mini-break at 2-1, and soon led 4-1 before Tauson surged to knot the score at 4-4. But when she served two, up 5-4 with the set within reach again, Tauson dropped both points. A Sabalenka return winner down the line gave her a fifth SP, which she put away (at 7-5) with a forehand winner.

The 2nd set saw Sabalenka grab the early edge, breaking for 2-1 and holding serve a game later. But at 4-3 down, Tauson -- pulling out perhaps her biggest groundstrokes of the day when they were most needed -- wrong-footed the world #1 with an opposite court forehand to break back and get the set back on serve. The Dane held six GP for an on-serve scoreboard lead in game 9, but Sabalenka's level rose in perhaps *the* key game of the match, saving the first GP with a volley off a lethal Tauson shot (shades of Aryna's doubles #1 past).

Tauson saved a mid-game BP with an ace (rare on this day), but Sabalenka took advantage of her second opportunity with a crosscourt forehand that flew past the Dane at mid-court, getting the break for a 5-4 lead.



After all that, Sabalenka finally got the chance to serve for the match, one in which she simply had *more* than her Danish opponent, as well as -- and maybe just as importantly -- a little bit *less*. As in a bit less emotional overflow, which usually only results in needless negativity (see Sabalenka's early-career *before* she learned the way of The Force) . It's something Tauson, who seems to have it a tad more under control than a few seasons ago (though not yet enough), still needs to work on more as she climbs the rankings (she's the live #39) and, if her health holds, is a likely seed come Roland Garros.

In the match's final game, Sabalenka fell behind 15/40, saving both BP when Tauson missed on a go-for-broke return down the line, then with a big serve and forehand combination. On MP, Sabalenka's second serve carried Tauson wide to her left, then the Belarusian put away a backhand at the net to close out the 7-6(5)/6-4 win.



As it turned out, this contest was another example of how far Sabalenka has come over the past few years. Not long ago, she might have let this one slip through her fingers in a fit of emotions and errors, and at the very least wouldn't have wrapped things up in straights. These says, while she (like everyone) can still give up leads and go through tough stretches, she now knows how to pull a set (see vs. Bouzas Maneiro) and/or match back from the danger zone, avoiding having to overplay in the heat, and keeping her momentum going into the second week. It's why she's been so dominant in the hard court majors.

8-0 in 2025, Sabalenka has won 17 straight in Melbourne (including 21 consecutive sets) and is 30-1 in her last 31 hard court slam matches (and 35-2 back to the '22 U.S. Open).

It's been a quarter century (Martina Hingis 26 years ago) since a woman three-peated at the AO but, as she charges into the Round of 16, Sabalenka can now see there from here.









=AO NOTES=
...in the first day of 3rd Round action at this AO, Donna Vekic's breakout slam year of '24 has continued into 2025, as the #18-seeded Croatian outlasted #12 Diana Shnaider in a 7-6(4)/6-7(3)/7-5 marathon, erasing the Hordette's 5-3 3rd set lead (she served for the win at 5-4) and denying the 20-year old a second straight 4th Round run at a major.



Vekic's last four slams have seen her put up 3r-SF-4r-4r(and counting) results, a 13-3 stretch over four tournaments. She won a total of twelve MD matches in the *fourteen* majors that immediately preceded the current stretch.

...Naomi Osaka's Flower Power Revenge Tour bus blew out a tire in the 3rd Round. More specifically, an ab. If her body had cooperated, things might have been very different (she led Belinda Bencic 4-1 in the 1st, after all), but the injury that knocked her out of the Auckland final (after *winning* the 1st set vs. Tauson) reared its head once more. After Bencic took a 7-3 TB, Osaka retired for the second time already in 2025.



One wonders if it might be smart for Osaka to take some time off after the AO to get right, with an eye on being 100% for the Indian Wells/Miami Sunshine Swing in early spring.

Though she missed all four majors in 2024, Bencic has now reached the Round of 16 at four of the last five she's played.

...is Olga Danilovic finally ready to make a *real* run in a major. The Serb has previously shown well on the big stage, but only once before has reached the second week. On Friday the 23-year reached the 4th Round of a major for the second time in less than a year, after doing so in Paris in '24 on the back of wins over Danielle Collins (#11 seed) and the aforementioned (then unseeded) Vekic.

Danilovic took out #25 Liudmila Samsonova in the 2nd Round, and has now followed up with her third career Top 10 win with an upset of #7 Jessie Pegula by a 7-6(2)/6-1 score.



At one point, Pegula reached the QF three straight years in Melbourne (2021-23), but has exited before the middle weekend (after a 2r loss in '24) in both appearances since then. The veteran Bannerette cracked through her previous slam ceiling (she'd been 0-6 in QF) last year with a run to the U.S. Open final, but her previous second week consistency in majors (second week runs in 6 of 8 from 2022-23) has suffered since the start of last year, going just 4-3 (and missing the '24 RG) outside of Flushing Meadows.

Danilovic stands at an impressive 10-5 in her slam MD career and next faces a third seed (#11 Paula Badosa, who def. #17 Marta Kostyuk in three sets) for a shot at reaching her maiden major QF.







...PAVLYUCHENKOVA BEING PAVLYUCHENKOVA (very, very different from Collins being Collins):




...QUESTION ANSWERED (but we already knew the answer, of course):




...DES DROPPING THE MIC:











=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR vs. #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS
#27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS vs. #18 Donna Vekic/CRO
#3 Coco Gauff/USA vs. (PR) Belinda Bencic/SUI
#11 Paula Badosa/ESP vs. Olga Danilovic/SRB
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. x/x
x vs. x
x vs. (WC) Birrell/Gadecki (AUS/AUS)
x vs. Rakhimova/Sorribes Tormo (RUS/ESP)
x vs. #12 Guo Hanyu/Panova (CHN/RUS)
#13 Babos/Melichar-Martinez (HUN/USA) vs. #3 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT)
#7 Muhammad/Schuurs (USA/NED) vs. x
x vs. #2 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL)























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*GIRLS' SINGLES SEEDS*
1. Emerson Jones, AUS
2. Mika Stojsavljevic, GBR
3. Jeline Vandromme, BEL
4. Wakana Sonobe, JPN
5. Teodora Kostovic, SRB
6. Kristina Penickova, USA
7. Tereza Krejcova, CZE
8. Elizara Yaneva, BUL
9. Mimi Xu, GBR
10. Rositsa Dencheva, BUL
11. Jana Kovackova, CZE
12. Alena Kovackova, CZE
13. Vendula Valdmannova, CZE
14. Hannah Klugman, GBR
15. Mika Buchnik, ISR
16. Julia Stusek, GER







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I still have mine, too!







TOP QUALIFIER: Maja Chwalinska, POL
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 7-6(3)/5-7/7-6(12-10) - Chwalinska in 3:23, was down a break twice in the 3rd. Salkova served for the win at 5-4, led 7-3 in the deciding MTB and held a pair of MP.
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. Peyton Stearns/USA 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/7-5 - 3:22 between former NCAA champs; Stearns up set and 2-0, up 5-3 in 3rd and served at 5-4; Navarro wins 16/19 points to end
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS (def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Linda Noskova/CZE (1st Rd.- Tauson/DEN)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Destanee Aiava/AUS (6th MD), Talia Gibson/AUS (2nd MD), Suzan Lamens/NED (1st MD), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK (5th MD)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Belinda Bencic/SUI (in 4r) (2r-Birrell/AUS, Kovinic/MNE)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: Eva Lys/GER (in 3r) (2r-Dart/GBR)
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Germany
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Czech Republic (1-4 1st Rd.; Kvitova/Pliskova/Krejcikova DNP; Vondrousova; Bouzkova First Loss; Noskova First Seed Out; Beljek 0-5 slam MD)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Destanee Aiava/AUS and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS(L) and Zhang Shuai/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: Nominee: Danilovic
IT (TBD): x
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Bencic
CRASH & BURN: #5 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2r- 2024 finalist and Olympic Gold medalist out in 2 sets vs. Siegemund/GER)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Eva Lys/GER (LL added to MD on Day 3 ten minutes before start of 1r match; reaches 3rd Rd. for first time at a major)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominee: Pavlyuchenkova
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Sabalenka/Dokic
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: Nominees: Aiava dons iconic Ivanovic/Sharapova dress designs during Q-run; Sabalenka/Dokic & crowd dance on Laver
DOUBLES STAR: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x





All for now. More soon.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 6:23 PM  5 comments