Sunday, June 21, 2026

Wk.24- A Crushing They Will Go

A Czech... doing Czech things. And she wasn't alone.








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*WEEK 24 CHAMPIONS*
BERLIN, GERMANY (WTA 500; Grass Outdoor)
S: Linda Noskova/CZE def. Jessie Pegula/USA 6-4/4-6/6-3
WD: [to be played Monday]
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND (WTA 250; Grass Outdoor)
S: Marie Bouzkova/CZE def. Emma Navarro/USA 7-6(5)/4-6/6-2
WD: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden (GBR/GBR) def. Chan Hao-ching/Shuko Aoyama (TPE/JPN) 6-3/6-4
Brescia, Italy (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Mayar Sherif/EGY def. Wang Xiyu/CHN 6-4/6-3
D: Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic (SLO/SLO) def. Irina Bara/Naima Karamoko (ROU/SUI) 6-4/7-5
Figueira da Foz, Portugal (WTA 125; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Dasha Vidmanova/CZE def. Ayla Aksu/TUR 6-2/6-3
D: Viktoria Hruncakova/Katarina Kuzmova (SVK/SVK) def. Elena Micic/Kristina Mladenovic (AUS/FRA) 6-4/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Linda Noskova/CZE
...Noskova's big-hitting game has always had the look of *potentially* being something that could result in her taking a big leap up the WTA rankings.

The Czech has steadily climbed the ladder, cracking the Top 20 last fall. After her first slam QF in her Australian Open debut in '24, she reached her maiden 1000 final (Beijing) in '25, and she's already played in the SF on hard court in Indian Wells and the Madrid QF on clay earlier this year. She's spread out a dozen Top 10 wins over every season since 2023 while climbing as high as #12 in the rankings, often trading back and forth the CZE #1 spot with countrywoman Karolina Muchova.

But Noskova, no matter how close she's gotten to something big (example: see her matches vs. Swiatek), has always come up just short, with her 1-5 record in tour finals coming into the week being a prime example.

While huge matches and upsets were happening all around her this past week in Berlin, Noskova worked her way through the draw without dropping a set, reaching her first grass final with straight sets wins over Renata Zarazua, Diane Parry, Paula Badosa and Alex Eala. But with Jessie Pegula, off her takedown of #1 Aryna Sabalenka, waiting for her, it felt like it'd likely be another close-but-no-proverbial-cigar moment for the Czech.

But, this time, it wasn't.

Instead, it was Noskova who was the peerless presence between the lines, maintaining an extremently high level of play throughout the day. After Pegula took the 2nd set, Noskova ran out to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd, having gotten her break edge by coming back from 40/30 down to take game 2. The opportunity to let things slip away was there, though, but when servnig at 4-2 Noskova staved off a pair of BP that would have put the set back on serve. After not putting away a MP in the next game, the Czech served out the set at 6-3 to get the win.

Noskova is the third Czech in four years to lift the trophy, following Petra Kvitova ('23) and Marketa Vondrousova ('25).

Noskova's second career title ties a 2024 win in the Monterrey 500 as her biggest, but Berlin feels far more important. For one, her 13th career Top 10 win also catapults *her* into the Top 10 for the first time (naturally, at the expense of Muchova, who slips to #11).

Noskova began to make a move on grass a year ago, reaching the Bad Homburg SF, Nottingham QF and Wimbledon Round of 16. Could this result signal that she's the next Czech ready to challenge at a major? Stay tuned.



Noskova also reached the doubles SF alongside Ekaterina Alexandrova, but their match vs. Gleason/Eikeri was suspended on Saturday. They didn't complete the match on Sunday, and are (tentatively?) scheduled to finish things up on Monday (or simply see Alexandrova/Noskova officially retire), with the team of Errani/Melichar-Martinez awaiting whichever team compete in the final.
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RISERS: Marie Bouzkova/CZE and Jessie Pegula/USA
...a bit under the radar, Bouzkova is having a career year.

In Bogota in April, the Czech picked up her maiden clay court title. This week in Nottingham, Bouzkova played into her first tour final on grass (though she *is* a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, in 2022, so at least she'd already lived up to her Czech heritage there), knocking off the likes of teenagers Tereza Valentova and Hannah Klugman to start, then thirtysomethings Tatjana Maria and Viktorija Golubic to get into the title match. Once there, she saved a pair of SP in the 1st against Emma Navarro, taking a 7-5 TB, then went on to finish off the win in three sets.

The victory completes Bouzkova's career surface title set, gives her her first multi-title season, a third straight win in a WTA final (after going 1-6 from 2020-24), and jumps her up to a new career high ranking of #22.





A almost any given moment of 2026, Pegula has been the *second* (or third) best player on tour, but she's yet to truly assume the spotlight for her own purposes. Her runner-up finish in Berlin fit the pattern.

Pegula got off to an extra-hot start to this season, but was lost in the backwash of Elena Rybakina, going 0-3 against the AO winner. She reached consecutive QF on the Sunshine Swing, but twice fell vs. the Kazakh. She successfully defended her Charleston title to open the clay season, but couldn't quite rise to the top during the Madrid/Rome stretch, only coming as close as the SF in the latter (a loss to Iga Swiatek). Then she was stunned in the 1st Round at Roland Garros.

Pegula has a good recent history on the grass (though she's just 8-6 overall at Wimbledon, w/ one second week run in six appearances). She picked up titles in Berlin in '24 and Bad Homburg in '25, and this week looked well on her way to a third straight year with similar success. Pegula hit her way through the likes of Katerina Siniakova, Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka (her 31st career To 10 win, fifth in '26 and sixth vs. a world #1) to reach her 23rd career WTA title. A third grass title would have given her more on the surface this decade than any other woman.

But Linda Noskova outhit Pegula all day, especially on serve, to win in three sets and deny the Bannerette her second straight season with titles on all three surfaces (she was the only to do it in '25, and would have been the first and probably only in '26, unless Rybakina wins at SW19). She's still the only player (so far) to reach *finals* on all three surfaces this season.



The loss drops Pegula to 11-12 in career finals.
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SURPRISES: Nikola Bartunkova/CZE and Diane Parry/FRA
...add Bartunkova's name to the long list of Czechs who have shown an ability to perform on the grass.

The 20-year old had already produced in a string of tour events this season, including reaching the AO 3rd Round (as a qualifier), Ostrava QF and Rome 4th Round (as a LL). Before this spring, Bartunkova had never played a pro match on grass, but her game has quickly proven to be adept on the surface, reaching the Birmingham 125 final (losing a 7-5 3rd set vs. Eala) before dropping a 7-5 3rd set to Hanne Vandewinkel at Rosmalen.

In Berlin, the wild card Czech handled Diana Shnaider in three sets and Elise Mertens in straights before facing off with world #1 Aryna Sabalenka. Bartunkova pushed Sabalenka to the very edge of defeat, leading by a set and a double-break at 4-0 in the 2nd, twice serving for the match before seeing Sabalenka win a 2nd set TB and then tough out a final set victory with Bartunkova twice erasing break advantages in the set and then denying two MP opportunities before finally going out.



With her QF result, Bartunkova will crack the Top 50 for the first time with a ranking of #46 on Monday, having now officially earned "dangerous floater" status for Wimbledon.



At the start of May, Parry was in dire straits. Ranked #108, off to an 0-4 start in the clay season, and having gone 1-6 in her last seven (since knocking off Venus in Indian Wells, incidentally, to improve to 8-3 since her AO Q1 loss).

Then came Paris. First a 125 title run in the city -- courtesy of a QF walkover and retirement mid-way through the final, but whatever -- that led to a 1st Round win in Strasbourg over Emma Raducanu, followed by a Round of 16 run at Roland Garros (w/ an upset of #6 Amanda Anisimova), her best career result at a major, that only ended when Maja Chwalinska showed up.

In Berlin, the Pastry made it through qualifying (def. Seidel and Kalinina) and posted a 1st Round win over Clara Tauson (Parry's fifth vs. Top 40 foe since the start of last month, after not having had *any* since last year's Wimbledon). She lost in the 2nd Round to Linda Noskova, put Parry left Berlin on an 11-3 winning spurt over two surfaces and come Monday will set a new career-high ranking of #47.

The French #4 in early May, Parry is currently the national #1.

Parry lost in the final round of qualifying this weekend in Bad Homburg.
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VETERANS: Karolina Pliskova/CZE and Viktorija Golubic/SUI
...Pliskova's remarkably consistent return to the tour this season continued in Nottingham as the 34-year old Czech posted multiple wins for the seventh time in eight MD appearances in events this year.

Pliskova posted a trio of wins over Sara Bejlek, Caty McNally and Talia Gibson before losing to countrywoman Marie Bouzkova in the semifinals.

The result is the best of '26 for Pliskova, who has recorded three previous QF (Linz, Madrid and Queen's Club), a 4th Round (Rome) and two 3rd Rounds (AO, Doha).

19-9 on the season, Pliskova has only failed to record multiple wins in one (Cluj) of the seven events in which she's appeared in the MD this year. Having played in nine events, the lone tournament in which she didn't use her protected ranking nor receive a wild card and had to make her way through qualifying, was the Roland Garros Q-event. She fell in the second qualifying round.



Also in Nottingham, 33-year old Golubic made it through qualifying with victories over Veronika Erjavec and Sofia Kenin, then backed that up with a SF run with MD victories over Kenin (again), Zeynep Sonmez and Ann Li.

She lost there to Emma Navarro, but the result secured her first tour-level SF outside of Jiujiang ('24 W, '25 SF) since reaching the semis in Nottingham three years ago (she also reached the QF there in '24).


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COMEBACKS: Paula Badosa/ESP and Emma Navarro/USA
...even while enduring intermittant issues with her back that trace back nearly three years now (w/ a stress fracture of the spine at the '23 Italian Open), Badosa keeps coming back for more. When she's physically able, she's still a force, winning a Comeback Player of the Year award in '24, then reaching her maiden major SF (AO25) and returning to the Top 10 last year.

Still, the Spaniard came into the week ranked #142 and at just 9-13 on the year (including going oh-fer in Europe this spring, with an 0-4 record over the past two months).

In Berlin, with a wild card berth into the MD a year after reaching the tournament's QF (she retired due to her back), Badosa posted wins over Suzan Lamens and Coco Gauff to return to the quarters. The win over Gauff was her first Top 10 victory since *last* year in the same event.



Badosa lost in the QF to Linda Noskova, but *maybe* she'll be able to put in a good effort during the upcoming summer schedule. She's reached the Round of 16 at three of the last five Wimbledons, and the QF at the only U.S. Open she's been healthy enough to play since '22. That was in 2024, the same summer she reached the Cincinnati SF and won her last tour-level singles title (in Washington).

Meanwhile, Navarro isn't yet back to her previous level, but she's showing significant progress.

After winning a tour title (her first on clay) in Strasbourg ahead of Roland Garros, the Bannerette played into her first grass final in Nottingham with wins over Anna Bondar, Yuliia Starodubtseva (from 3-1 back in the 3rd), Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Viktorija Golubic.

After dropping the 1st set in the final vs. Marie Bouzkova after having had a pair of SP at 6-5 (at 15/40, after Bouzkova took a MTO down love/30), then up (on-serve) at 5-4 in the ensuing TB before losing 7-5, Navarro forced a 3rd set only to come up short vs. the Czech.

The loss is Navarro's first in four appearances in WTA singles finals in her career.



Navarro has an encouraging history at SW19, reaching the QF in 2024, and the Round of 16 a year ago.
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FRESH FACES: Alex Eala/PHI and Talia Gibson/AUS
...heading into the season's third major, Eala will arrive in London as one of the in-form players in the draw, in which she'll be a *seeded* participant for the first time in her slam career due to her results this past week in Berlin as she reached her second SF of the season just two weeks after winning the grasscourt Birmingham 125 title (w/ a victory over Nikola Bartunkova in the final).

In Berlin, Eala took out Queen's Club champ Donna Vekic, former Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina (her second career win over a world #2), and two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina. The latter two wins were the Filipina's third and fourth Top 10 victories this season (giving her six in the last sixteen months).



Eala ultimately fell a win short of what would have been her second career tour final (along w/ Eastbourne last year), losing to Linda Noskova in the semis.

Eala, 9-2 on the lawns this spring, jumps five spots to #30 (one off her career high from March).

Meanwhile, having just picked up her biggest career doubles win with a title on the grass at the Birmingham 125, Gibson finally began to turn around her singles fortunes in Nottingham.

The Aussie was a sudden star on the Sunshine Swing, during which her QF/4th Round turns in Indian Wells/Miami highlighted a 21-4 stretch for Gibson in February/March. But what came up also soon went down, as she came into this week on a 3-10 tumble with four straight losses. Ending the slide was no easy feat.

Gibson had to fight to get out of the 1st Round vs. Francesca Jones, who forced things to a 3rd set after dropping the 1st, then led 5-2 in the decider (w/ two MP) before Gibson rallied to force a TB. The Brit led 3-1 there before Gibson won six of the final seven points to get the win.

She then upset Zheng Qinwen in straights, converting on her fourth MP chance to win a 22-point tie-break.



Gibson fell in the QF to Karolina Pliskova, but (maybe) can finally see the light once again.
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ITF PLAYER: Francesca Curmi/MLT
...playing in her second final in her last three events, along with a $50K last month in Portoroz, Malta's Curmi grabbed her sixth and biggest career challenger crown in the $75K tournament in Blois, France.

The 23-year old Maltese player upset top seeded Lola Radivojevic early on, then took out Ipek Oz (SF) and Alevtina Ibragimova (6-3/7-5) in the final to get the win.

Curmi will climb from #334 to a new career high of #268.


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DOUBLES: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden, GBR/GBR
...a week after Olivia Nicholls became the first British winner of the women's doubles at Queen's Club, Dart & Lumsden combined to become the first home winners in Nottingham (while British woman have won the singles five times, including three times since 2021, none had won in WD in tournament history).

The wild card pair had quite the run, surviving a MTB in the 1st Round, then proceeding to knock off the #1 (Hunter/McNally), #3 (Sutjiadi/Tjen) and #2 (Aoyama/Chan Hao-ching in the final) seeds in successive matches to claim the crown.

It's the maiden tour title for both Brits, with Dart erasing her 0-4 career WTA mark (including two Nottingham losses in 2023-24) and Lumsden getting a win in her third final appearance at tour level.

As a pair, Dart/Lumsden have previously reached three 125 finals (going 1-2) in 2025-26, and were finalists in Birmingham two weeks ago.


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1. Berlin QF - Aryna Sabalenka def. Nikola Bartunkova
...2-6/7-6(2)/6-4. The art of averting oblivion (delayed).

One wonders how Sabalenka might have reacted if she'd followed up her epic collapse in the RG semis with a run-over loss vs. Bartunkova in her second grass match of the season. What *did* happen, though, was Sabalenka finding her way through the weeds and erasing a 6-2/4-0 deficit in which she twice deflected the Czech's attempt to serve out the match, winning a TB to force a 3rd.

Yeah, *that* wasn't easy, either. Sabalenka twice lost a break lead until finally going up 5-4, then missing on a pair of MP chances (one with a bad backhand error on a sitter shot off the net cord) before the third proved to be the charm.
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2. Berlin SF - Jessie Pegula def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-4/6-7(4)/6-0. Of course, all that comeback win did was set Sabalenka up for another collapse, this time against a higher-ranked opponent.

After Pegula took the opening set, Sabalenka raced to but lost at 5-2 lead in the 2nd, failing to convert two SP at 5-3 and then falling behind 3-1 in the tie-break. After a rain delay, she returned to take the breaker 7-4 and head to a 3rd. Ship righted, eh?



Nope, Pegula out-hit, out-served, out-hustled and out-thought her en route to a love 3rd, adding another chapter to what has once again become far too many crash-out endings to matches for a world #1 who has been the dominant player on tour for going-on multiple seasons, except for when she's gotten in her own way.

It's Sabalenka's first love 3rd set loss since, well, yeah, her *last* tournament, against Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros. Not good. Sabalenka didn't show for her post-match press conference, either.


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3. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Alex Eala def. Elena Rybakina
...7-5/6-4. Rybakina continues to post results more than a bit below what is expected of the world #2, as Eala avenges her loss to the Kazakh in the 3rd Round in Rome earlier this spring.

Eala trailed 4-1 in the 1st, then won 12 of the last 17 games vs. the '22 Wimbledon champ.

It's Eala's second win over a player ranked #2 (Iga, Miami '25). She'd add another Top 10 win (over Svitolina) a round later.


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4. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Paula Badosa def. Coco Gauff
...1-6/6-3/6-2. Yet again moving forward and trying to put her back issues in the past, Badosa once more shows what she's capable of when healthy. Remember, she's 4-0 in tour finals, winning Indian Wells in 2021, and a former major semifinalist (AO25) who came into this one with fifteen career Top 10 wins (7 vs. the Top 5), and who ranked as high as #2 in the world four years ago.

The Spaniard picked up Top 10 win #16 here, her first since this same tournament a year ago and her third overall vs. Gauff (w/ '23 Madrid and '25 AO).


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5. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Talia Gibson def. Francesca Jones 6-3/5-7/7-6(4)
Nottingham 1st Rd. - Yuliia Starodubtseva def. Maya Joint 6-7(8)/7-5/6-4
...AUS #2 Gibson picks up nine ranking spots on (still) AUS #1 Joint in Nottingham, pulling out of her four-match losing streak by saving a pair of MP in the 1st Round.

Gibson battled Jones for three hours (the Brit, per usual, had an MTO break during the proceedings), losing her match lead after the 1st and having to rally from 5-2 down in the 3rd, saving a pair of MP at 5-3, before getting the saving break of serve on her fourth BP chance. In the deciding TB, Gibson dug out of an early 3-1 hole to win 7-4 and re-set her course.

While Gibson's season has experienced wild swings on the success meter, Joint's has pretty much been pointed in a negative direction from the start.

A year after a breakout campaign, during which she won two tour titles and (in early '26) cracked the Top 30, the 20-year old has posted multiple wins in just one event (in Week 2 in Adelaide, when Ajla Tomljanovic retired after just two games in a 2nd Round match).

Joint managed a win over Katarzyna Kawa in a clay court 125 two weeks ago, right before the Pole's 125 title run a week later, but her '26 grass debut saw her lose a 4-1 opening set lead. She denied Starodubtseva when she served for the set at 5-4, then overcame a 5-3 TB deficit to hold a pair of SP, saved a SP (at 8-7), and finally won 10-8. Joint served for the match in the 2nd set, but dropped the final four games as things went to a 3rd.

Starodubtseva took the decider 6-4, ending a 3:21 affair that dropped Joint to 3-14 on the season. The Aussie put up 62 and 54 overall wins the last two seasons at all levels, but it'll take a monumental back-half for her to even rack up *half* those totals in '26.

Joint stands at #53, while countrywoman Gibson is now officially looking over her shoulder at #57.
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6. Nottingham 2nd Rd. - Emma Navarro def. Yuliia Starodubtseva
...6-4/6-7(3)/6-4. After toughing out a 1st Round win, this was quite a different experience for Starodubtseva (who'd only recently upset Elena Rybakina at Roland Garros). Here the Ukrainian consistently raced ahead on the scoreboard, only to see Navarro reel her back in time and time again.

Starodubtseva led 5-0 in the 2nd, and *four* times failed to serve out the set (holding 3 SP) before being taken to a TB. Again, she went out to a 5-0 lead, this time closing out the breaker at 7-3.

Starodubtseva led 3-1 in the 3rd, but Navarro surged back to take five of the last six games to advance.
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7. Berlin 1st Rd. - Nikola Bartunkova def. Diana Shnaider
...6-2/6-7(2)/6-3. Bartunkova shows an ability to take down bigger names on a *third* surface in '26, knocking off Shnaider in the Hordette's first outing since her semifinal at Roland Garros.

Shnaider led 3-0 in the 2nd, but saved a pair of Bartunkova MP at 5-4 when the Czech served for the win. Shnaider then staged a comeback from 0-2 in the TB with seven straight points to force a 3rd set.

Shnaider led the decider 3-0 before Bartunkova swept the final six games.


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8. Berlin Final Linda Noskova def. Jessie Pegula
...6-4/4-6/6-3. Noskova becomes the 12th different Czech to crack the Top 10, and avoids falling to 1-7 (eek!) in career tour-level singles finals with her first tour win since 2024. She was 0-3 in title matches in '25.

This was Noskova's first WTA final on any surface other than hard courts.


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9. Nottingham Final - Marie Bouzkova def. Emma Navarro
...7-6(5)/4-6/6-2. Bouzkova completes her career surface title collection with her maiden win on the grass, outlasting Navarro, who would have completed *her* trio of titles on different surfaces had she managed to take the 3rd set.


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10. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Madison Keys def. Karolina Muchova
...6-4/7-5. Any time a Czech plays on grass, an eyebrow naturally raises and attention is warranted. That used be the case with Muchova, but not so much anymore

While she'd seem to have a game well-suited to grass success, which she found with QF runs in her first two appearances at Wimbledon in 2019 and '21, Muchova have been a non-factor on the surface ever since.

She's failed to win a single match the last four years at SW19 (granted, some of those times she came in nursing an injury, or barely back from one), and since winning four matches en route to the last eight five years ago in London, Muchova has gone a combined 4-7 on grass from 2022-26.

Meanwhile, with Noskova's title run, Muchova slips from out of the Top 10 to #11, replaced by her countrywoman.
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11. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Hannah Klugman def. Harriet Dart
...6-2/6-4. 17-year old Klugman, last year's RG junior champ and recent girls' #1, loses in Nottingham qualifying to Zeynep Sonmez, but gets a reprieve with a lucky loser berth and posts her maiden career tour-level win over fellow Brit Harriet Dart.



Klugman lost in the 2nd Round to Marie Bouzkova.

In about a week, she'll play in the second straight Wimbledon women's MD via a wild card entry.
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12. Nottingham Q2 - Viktorija Golubic def. Sofia Kenin 6-3/6-4
Nottingham 1st Rd. - Viktorija Golubic def. Sofia Kenin 6-2/4-6/6-3
...dontcha hate when that happens? I mean, if you're Sofia Kenin.
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13. Berlin 1st Rd. - Elise Mertens def. Liudmila Samsonova
...1-6/6-3/6-0. Samsonova seems *close* to finally reaching her "turning point" moment in the '26 season, but she's not quite there yet. After a dominant 1st set vs. Mertens, the Hordette won just three games in the final two sets, falling in her second straight-set loss this grass season.

She drops to 7-15 on the year, her worst stretch to open a year in a series of bad starts that now goes back to 2022.

Samsonova has gone *later* into a season (a title run in Washington in '22) in this now five-year span before turning things around, gettting hot and finishing above .500 and in the Top 30, though. She'll drop outside the Top 40 on Monday.

The clock is ticking.

UPDATE: Samsonova got a win over Katerina Siniakova in early 1st Round play in Bad Homburg on Sunday. Is the corner about to be turned?


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14. Brescia 125 Final - Mayar Sherif def. Wang Xiyu
...6-4/6-3. Sherif adds to her all-time leading total of career 125 titles, picking up singles win #9. The Egyptian veteran has nearly doubled the titles won by players (Golubic, Parks - 5) who come in tied for second on the all-time 125 list.
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15. Figueira da Foz 125 Final - Dasha Vidmanova def. Ayla Aksu
...6-2/6-3. 23-year old Vidmanova, a former "triple crown" winner at the NCAA Championship level (WS, WD and Team champion in her career) for Georgia, continued the great week for the Czechs, picking up her biggest career title in Portugal.

A week after reaching the SF on the grass at Ilkley, Vidmanova moved over to hard courts for this one. She'll crack the Top 100 for the first time on Monday.


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HM- $15K Kursumlijska Banja SRB Final - Amelie Justine Hejtmanek def. Marianna Argyrokastriti
...6-1/6-4. Another week, another (well, fourth) Crusher champion.

This time it comes on the ITF level, as 18-year old Hejtmanek picks up her maiden pro title.


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1. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Sara Bejlek
...2-6/7-6(3)/6-2. #11-seeded Bejlek took over the top slot in the draw when #1 Iva Jovic withdrew, meaning she faced off with countrywoman Pliskova, in the midst of a successful comeback season in which she's won *at least* one match in all but one event (and that was back in February).

Here, Pliskova dropped the 1st set, but graducally sezied control, taking a 2nd set TB and then overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd to sweep the final six games.


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2. Berlin 1st Rd. - Giuliana Olmos/Erin Routliffe def. Karolina Muchova/Serena Williams
...6-4/6-4. It was only a cameo appearance for Serena in Berlin, but much more appears to be coming very soon.



It just allowed Serena to get to the AELTC a little earlier than anticipated. And, you know, get in some additional *singles* practice.


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The grass season (thanks to the AELTC) isn't exactly the time for unique fashion, but this is a nice complimentary color scheme for the lawns...




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What the heck is this even supposed to be? It makes absolutely no sense at all, with no criteria in regards to tennis, soccer or any other sport.



If they wanted to wait until later on, when there were fewer nations involved in a bracket and assign tennis players to each nation in the mix, at least there'd be *something* to it.

At this moment, I'd say, stick to tennis.
















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*2020s MULT. WTA TITLES BY NATION IN WTA WEEK*
2020 --
2021 Wk.7 (ESP) - Muguruza/DUBAI, Sorribes Tormo/GUAD
2022 Wk.32 (RUS) - Kasatkina/SAN JOSE, Samsonova/WASH
2022 Wk.35 (RUS) - Kasatkina/GRANBY, Samsonova/CLEV
2022 Wk.38 (RUS) - Alexandrova/SEOUL, Samsonova/TOKYO
2023 --
2024 Wk.21 (USA) - Stearns/RABAT, Keys/STRASBOURG
2024 Wk.26 (RUS) - Kasatkina/EAST, Shnaider/BAD HOMBURG
2025 Wk.2 (USA) - Kessler/HOBART, Keys/ADELAIDE
2025 Wk.9 (USA) - Navarro/MERIDA, Pegula/AUSTIN
2026 Wk.24 (CZE) - Bouzkova/NOTT, Noskova/BERLIN

*RECENT WTA TOP 10 SINGLES DEBUTS*
[2024]
Zheng Qinwen/CHN
Jasmine Paolini/ITA
Emma Navarro/USA
[2025]
Mirra Andreeva/RUS
Amanda Anisimova/USA
Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS
[2026]
Victoria Mboko/CAN
Linda Noskova/CZE

*WTA TITLES ON HARD/CLAY/GRASS (active)*
[# - w/ diff. clay wins: red/green/blue]
Belinda Bencic, SUI (g)
MARIE BOUZKOVA, CZE (r)
Ons Jabeur, TUN (r/g) #
Dasha Kasatkina, AUS (g)
Madison Keys, USA (g/r) #
Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (r)
Elise Mertens, BEL (r)
Alona Ostapenko, LAT (r)
Jessie Pegula, USA (g)
Karolina Pliskova, CZE (r)
Elena Rybakina, KAZ (r)
Diana Shnaider, RUS (r)
Katerina Siniakova, CZE (r)
Iga Swiatek, POL (r)
Serena Williams, USA (r/g/b) #
Venus Williams, USA (r/g) #
Vera Zvonareva, RUS (r)
--
ALSO: Lisicki/GER (g), Wozniacki/DEN (r/g)

*2026 - TOP 10 WINS (w/ #1 wins)*
7 - Kostyuk, Rybakina(1), Svitolina
5 - Mboko, Muchova, Pegula(1), Sabalenka
4 - Eala
3 - Baptiste(1), Bencic
[on grass]
2-Eala
1-Badosa, Boulter, Jovic, Noskova, Pegula(1), Pliskova
[on multiple surfaces - 11 on two]
Baptiste (hard/clay)
Eala (hard/grass)
Jovic (hard/grass)
Keys (clay/grass)
Kostyuk (hard/clay)
Muchova (hard/clay)
Noskova (clay/grass)
Pegula (hard/grass)
Pliskova (hard/grass)
Rybakina (hard/clay)
Svitolina (hard/clay)

*LAST FIVE #1 WINS*
2026 AO Final - #5 Rybakina/KAZ def. Sabalenka
2026 MAD QF - #32 Baptiste/USA def. Sabalenka
2026 ROM 3r - #27 Cirstea/ROU def. Sabalenka
2026 RG QF - #23 Shnaider/RUS def. Sabalenka
2026 BERLIN SF - #4 Pegula/USA def. Sabalenka

*CAREER WTA #1 WINS active*
17 - Serena Williams, USA
15 - Venus Williams, USA
9 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
7 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
6 - Jessie Pegula, USA
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
4 - Belinda Bencic, SUI
4 - Coco Gauff, USA
4 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
[U.S. women #1 wins since 2020]
6 - Jessie Pegula
4 - Coco Gauff
2 - Madison Keys
1 - Amanda Anisimova
1 - Hailey Baptiste
1 - Jennifer Brady
1 - Danielle Collins
1 - Sofia Kenin
1 - Shelby Rogers
[U.S. women career #1 wins - active]
17 - Serena Williams
15 - Venus Williams
6 - Jessie Pegula
4 - Coco Gauff
3 - Sofia Kenin
2 - Madison Keys

*MOST WTA TITLES - CZE (active)*
17 - Karolina Pliskova (2013-20)
8 - Barbora Krejcikova (2021-24)
5 - Katerina Siniakova (2017-22)
4 - MARIE BOUZKOVA (2022-26)
3 - Marketa Vondrousova (2017-25)
2 - Karolina Muchova (2019-26)
2 - LINDA NOSKOVA (2024-26)
1 - Sara Bejlek (2026)
1 - Linda Fruhvirtova (2022)
[career-high ranks - TCH/CZE]
#1 - Karolina Pliskova *
#2 - Jana Novotna
#2 - Petra Kvitova
#2 - Barbora Krejcikova *
#3 - Martina Navratilova [1975; #1 as USA]
#3 - Hana Mandlikova
#4 - Helena Sukova
#5 - Lucie Safarova
#6 - Marketa Vondrousova *
#7 - Nicole Vaidisova
#8 - Karolina Muchova *
#10 - Linda Noskova *

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA CHAMPIONS BY COUNTRY*
4 = CZE - Bejlek,Bouzkova,Muchova,NOSKOVA
4 = USA - Montgomery,Navarro,Pegula,Stearns
2 = CRO - Marcinko,Vekic
2 = UKR - Kostyuk,Svitolina
--
[1-BLR,ESP,GBR,ITA,KAZ,ROU,RUS]

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2026*
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (3-1)
4 - Mirra Andreeva (3-1)
3 - Marta Kostyuk (2-1)
3 - JESSIE PEGULA (2-1)
3 - Elena Rybakina (2-1)
3 - Elina Svitolina (2-1)
3 - Victoria Mboko (0-3)
2 - MARIE BOUZKOVA (2-0)
2 - Karolina Muchova (1-1)
2 - EMMA NAVARRO (1-1)
2 - Coco Gauff (0-2)
2 - Emma Raducanu (0-2)

*2026 WTA FINALS, MOST SURFACES*
3 - PEGULA = Hard,Green Clay,Grass
2 - M.Andreeva = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Rybakina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Muchova = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Kostyuk = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Gauff = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Svitolina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Mboko = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Raducanu = Hard,Grass
2 - NAVARRO = Red Clay,Grass
2 - BOUZKOVA = Red Clay,Grass

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA FINALISTS BY COUNTRY*
6 - USA
...Gauff,Montgomery,Navarro,Pegula,Stearns,Townsend
5 - CZE
...Bejlek,Bouzkova,Krejcikova,Muchova,Noskova
5 - UKR
...Kalinina,Kostyuk,Podrez,Starodubtseva,Svitolina
2 - CRO
...Marcinko,Vekic
2 - GBR
...Boulter,Raducanu
2 - POL
...Chwalinska,Frech
2 - RUS
...Alexandrova,M.Andreeva
--
1 - AUT,BLR,CAN,CHN,ESP,GER,HUN,ITA,KAZ,ROU

*MOST WTA SF in 2026*
6 - Elina Svitolina (3-3)
5 - Mirra Andreeva (4-1)
5 - ARYNA SABALENKA (4-1)
5 - JESSIE PEGULA (3-2)
4 - Marta Kostyuk (3-1)
4 - Elena Rybakina (3-1)
4 - Karolina Muchova (2-2)
4 - Iva Jovic (1-3)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA WD CHAMPIONS*
Rouen - Jesika Maleckova, CZE (31)
Rabat - Eudice Chong, HKG (30)
Rosmalen - Liang En-Shou, TPE (25)
Nottingham - HARRIET DART, GBR (29)
Nottingham - MAIA LUMSDEN, GBR (28)

*ALL-TIME WTA 125 SINGLES TITLES*
9 - Mayar Sherif, EGY
5 - Viktorija Golubic, SUI
5 - Alycia Parks, USA
4 - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
4 - Sรกra Bejlek, CZE
4 - Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
4 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
4 - Nuria Pรกrrizas Dรญaz, ESP
4 - Anca Todoni, ROU






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Custom made tarps just so the tangerine baby doesn't have a tantrum that his name has been taken off a building (which shouldn't have been there in the first place)?

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 3:23 PM


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Trump announces a Fourth of July "Trump Rally" anntelnaes.substack.com/p/trump-anno...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 9:26 PM

Old enough to remember when the people defending a UFC fighter for making a 'joke' about Michelle Obama at the WH wanted Jimmy Kimmel, a comedian, to be fired for making a joke about melania on his show.

— Covie (@covie93.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 10:51 PM


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Racism, transphobia, misogyny, homophobia, ableism. Trump gave MAGA permission to proudly and loudly show all of their hatred and ignorance. This wave of vileness has spread like a plague across this country. We must put an end to all of it. Decency and empathy will prevail.

[image or embed]

— Christian Petersen (@iwantyoustudio.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 4:22 PM


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Breaking News: the algae has agreed to accept $300 billion to consider vacating the reflecting pool

— Tobias Wilson-Bates (@phdhurtbrain.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 7:17 PM

Make Algae Great Again

— Jouni Marttila (@joumartti.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 5:14 AM





All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 7:00 PM  0 comments

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Wk.23- Winning for Losing



"Baby, even the losers
Get lucky sometimes
Even the losers
Keep a little bit of pride
They get lucky sometimes"

- Tom Petty, from "Even the Losers"









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*WEEK 23 CHAMPIONS*
LONDON, ENGLAND [Queen's Club] (WTA 500; Grass Outdoor)
S: Donna Vekic/CRO def. Emma Raducanu/GBR 6-0/7-6(6)
WD: Tereza Mihalikova/Olivia Nicholls (SVK/GBR) def. Leylah Fernandez/Laura Siegemund (CAN/GER) 6-3/6-7(4) [10-5]
ROSMALEN, NETHERLANDS (WTA 250; Grass Outdoor)
S: Robin Montgomery/USA walkover Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
WD: Shuko Aoyama/Liang En-shuo (JPN/TPE) def. Ingrid Neel/Giuliana Olmos (EST/MEX) 6-2/2-6 [10-7]
Ilkley, England (WTA 125; Grass Outdoor)
S: Ashlyn Krueger/USA def. Celine Naef/SUI 7-5/6-2
D: Freya Christie/Eden Silva (GBR/GBR) def. Madeleine Brooks/Amelia Rajecki (GBR/GBR) 1-6/6-4 [10-7]
Modena, Italy (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Katarzyna Kawa/POL def. Lucia Bronzetti/ITA 6-1/4-6/7-6(6)
D: Yvonne Cavalle Reimers/Lara Salden (ESP/BEL) def. Ekaterine Gorgodze/Naima Karamoko (GEO/SUI) 6-3/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Donna Vekic/CRO
...Vekic's emotions ran the gamut over a week-plus in London, as the former Wimbledon semifinalist was at first exhilarated to open up her '26 grass campaign, then disappointed by a loss in the final round of qualifying, only to be relieved to still have a spot in the MD as a lucky loser. Then she went to work.

After falling to Anna Blinkova before the start of MD action, the 29-year old Croatian quickly got back on her feet. From that moment, on her way to the title, she dropped just one more set. An opening win over British teenage wild card Mika Stojsavljevic (not not-given-a-WC defending champ Tatjana Maria... whew!), Vekic followed up with victories over Marie Bouzkova, Karolina Pliskova (who won the 2nd set) to reach her second '26 SF (w/ Linz), then buzzed through the likes of two more Brits, Katie Boulter in the semis and Emma Raducanu (though only after being taken to a TB after faling to convert three MP, finally getting it done on #5 for an 8-6 win) in the final.



This final appearance was Vekic's first since the '24 Olympics, and career title #5 is her first since taking Monterrey in early 2023.

Of course, whenever this moment or one like it was to happen next for Vekic, it was likely that it *would* occur on the grass. After all, this was her sixth tour-level final appearance on the lawns, and it comes at a *fifth* different event after Birmingham (2013), Nottingham (2017 W, 2019 RU), Berlin (2023) and Bad Homburg (2024)

Vekic has reached the Wimbledon semis in 2024, as well, and collected four Top 10 victories on the surface. She'll leap *44* spots with the victory,climbing from #76 to #32 on Monday.
===============================================



RISER: Emma Raducanu/GBR
...to anyone who has actually paid attention -- i.e. not the social media trolls and bettors who have been dumping on the '21 U.S. Open winner for years -- the level of an in-form (and healthy) Raducanu's game has never really been an issue where the Brit is concerned. When conditions have been optimal, she's shown why and how she had such a fine summer five years ago. Injuries have slowed her progress greatly, with her inability/refusal to settle on a coaching path not exactly helping the process, either.

For every highlight, though, there has usually been a step back soon afterward.

The first-half of 2026 has certainly raised a few eyebrows where Raducanu is concerned, both of the good and "oh, Emma" variety. After parting ways with another coach after the AO (Francisco Roig, who soon found another job), she quickly went to Cluj and reached her first WTA final since winning at Flushing Meadows. Raducanu announced an informal coaching setup with Mark Petchey prior to the Sunshine Double, but then lost early in Indian Wells and withdrew from Miami due to illness. During the clay season, former coach Andrew Richardson was no longer "former" and was back aboard. Still, she lost in the 1st Round in Paris.

The arrival of another grass season, though, provides another opportunity to thrive. Remember, it was at the 2021 Wimbledon where Raducanu made her *first* slam noise with a Round of 16 run in her debut (ended when she retired due to breathing difficulties and illness), the same tournament at which she's since advanced to her only other major 4th Round (in '24) since winning the U.S. Open. Two of Raducanu's three career Top 10 wins have also come on the surface.

At Queen's Club, Raducanu rode another wave, defeating Anna Blinkova (who'd defeated Donna Vekic in the final round of qualifying), Sorana Cirstea (who'd defeated her in the Cluj final), Kamilla Rakhimova and Iva Jovic (playing *both* matches on Saturday) to reach her third WTA final, and *second* this season (aka "Sunday fun day").



The double-duty likely made Sunday a little less fun, as Raducanu was blanked in the 1st set by none other than the aforementioned Vekic, but Raducanu rebounded to lead 5-2 in the 2nd. After denying the Croatian on three MP and forcing a TB, the Brit finally lost 8-6 on MP #5. It was a good, though "late-starting" effort that again gives some hope that maybe *this* is finally the moment when Raducanu's old promise rises up again.

But, you know, we've been here before. Unfortunately, we probably will be again, too.


===============================================



SURPRISE: Robin Montgomery/USA
...a Top 100 player last spring, 21-year old Montgomery missed eight months with a wrist injury that required surgery. She saw her '25 season end after Wimbledon, and didn't return until this past March.

The Bannerette, ranked all the way down at #484, qualified at Rosmalen, and then strung together nice wins over Dasha Kasatkina (a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist), Greet Minnen (a Birmingham 125 champ on the grass last year) Daria Snigur (the '19 Wimbledon girls' champion) and Ajla Tomljanovic (a two-time SW19 quarterfinalist) to reach her maiden tour final.

Montgomery, who played in her second career tour-level SF at this event did so some seventeen months after she'd reached her first in Auckland at the start of the '25 season, before the wrist injury forced her off tour.



Montgomery didn't have to do any other heavy lifting, other than with the trophy, to claim her maiden tour singles title, as finalist Barbora Krejcikova (a former Wimbledon champ) withdraw hours before the match's scheduled start due to a viral illness.



Montgomery swept the junior titles at the '21 U.S. Open. That summer she won the doubles in New York while partnering Ashlyn Krueger, who incidentally has also found some hard-won success this grass season (as seen below).
===============================================



VETERAN: Barbora Krejcikova/CZE
...when Krejcikova is on the comeback trail, there's usually an expiration date on her participation is any event. This spring, it's been right before a final.

The Czech, with just nine '26 matches under her belt after Rome, reached the Parma 125 final but was clearly not in the condition to truly contest another match as she was a shadow of that week's self vs. Dayana Yastremska after having won three straight three-setters. In Paris, after she couldn't put away Hailey Baptiste in a 2nd set TB (at this point, Baptiste would have been better off if she had), Krejcikova was rolled over in a 3rd set.

This week, Krejcikova ran off four consecutive straight sets wins at Rosmalen (following up a QF win over Gabriela Ruse with a 2nd set TB victory over Magda Linette in the SF), but withdrew from her final vs. Robin Montgomery due to a viral illness, handing a maiden title to the young Bannerette.

With her week, Krejickova is now 12-6 on the year, including 8-2 in her last ten matches.



But, you know, maybe former Wimbledon champ Krejcikova, who has shown some knowledge of tennis history in the past, is on to something.

It's worth noting that coming into this year's grass court season, *zero* of the last 85 WTA pre-Wimbledon grass singles champions have gone on to win at SW19, and just one of the last 102 have lifted the Venus Rosewater dish going back to the late 1990s.

Of course, you know who the *one* was, right? Yeah, that'd be none other than Krejcikova's former mentor and current "Jana on Her Shoulder," the late Hall of Famer Jana Novotna in 1998.

We'll see in a few weeks in there's something to talk about there or not.
===============================================
COMEBACKS: Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS and Ashlyn Krueger/USA
...Tomljanovic has been struggling through the '26 season. The Aussie came into Rosmalen at 9-14 on the year, with five straight defeats and a 1-9 mark in her last ten outings (since a 3rd Rd. at Indian Wells).

The 33-year old posted her best result in more than a year, reaching her first SF since doing so in Rabat in May of '25.

An opening win over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro was followed by a 7-5 3rd set victory over Dayana Yastremska is a much-suspended, two-day contest, then a QF upset of Caty McNally. Qualifier Robin Montgomery ended Tomljanovic's week a match short of the final, but she'll climb back into the Top 100 on Monday.



In the Ilkley 125, Krueger continued her grass court surge by picking up her first singles title on any level since 2023 (when she won her maiden tour level title in Tokyo in September, three months after her only previous 125 victory on the grass in Gaiba, Italy).

Prior to the turn to the lawns, Krueger had been having a tough season. After being ranked in the Top 30 as recently as the start of last year's U.S. Open, the Bannerette dropped as low as #120 before Roland Garros. She reached the Austin SF and Indian Wells 3rd Round early in the year, but saw the clay season end with her just 11-13 in 2026 (w/ a 2-6 stretch up to her RG 1st Round loss after making it through qualifying) after she'd ended '25 on a 3-8 skid from summer hard court season forward.

Last week, Krueger's loss in Paris allowed her to get an early start on the grass, reaching the SF of the Birmingham 125. And with her title this week, completed with a 7-5/6-2 victory in the final over Celine Naef, the 22-year old stands at 10-1 this grass season and will climb back into the Top 100 on Monday.


===============================================
FRESH FACE: Iva Jovic/USA
...the tour's *third* teenager in the Top 20 (the youngest currently in the Top 80) was at it again at Queen's Club, reaching her fourth SF of the year (on a third different surface).



18-year old Jovic followed up a win over Antonia Ruzic with impressive defeats of last week's Birmingham 125 champ Alex Eala and Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova, the latter win her second over a Top 10 player (w/ Paolini) this year.

Jovic lost in the semis to Emma Raducanu.

A year ago this week, Jovic won what was then her biggest career title with a run on the grass at the Ilkley 125.


===============================================
DOWN: Elena Rybakina/KAZ
...after kicking off her year with an Australian Open title, 2026 seemed as if it might be the Year of Rybakina. It hasn't turned out that way.

With a chance to seize the season by the neck on the Sunshine Swing, Rybakina was bested *twice* by Aryna Sabalenka late in the proceedings (IW F, Mia. SF). She kept her clay campaign afloat with an early title in Stuttgart, but almost erased any gain with a 2nd Round loss at Roland Garros.

With Sabalenka having not taken full advantage of *her* chance in Paris to pull away from Rybakina in the rankings, former Wimbledon champ Rybakina did the same in the opening WTA week of the grass season. At Queen's Club, she barely escaped a second straight loss, pulling away from Tatjana Maria (who defeated her in the QF of the event a year ago) after trailing the defending champ 7-6/5-3 (and love/30 at 5-4 down), as the 38-year old being forced to play two additional qualifying matches (plus a 1st Rounder, as Rybakina had a bye) likely did the Kazakh a favor as Rybakina rolled to a love 3rd set win.

But Rybakina went out at the hands of Katie Boulter a round later, remaining 900+ points behind Sabalenka at #1 in the rankings.

The Kazakh is still positioned "well enough" to have a very good season, but it sure *feels* like she's left a lot "coulda" on the table over the five months since Melbourne.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS: Alena & Jana Kovackova, CZE/CZE
...a week after winning her third straight girls' doubles major, Jana Kovackova rejoined big sister Alena and kepy up the family's winning ways on the ITF level, taking a $75K crown in Ceska Lipa (CZE) with a 6-4/6-1 win over Banerettes Hibah Skaikh & Allura Zamarripa.

It's the seventh career ITF title together for the Czechs, including a 4-0 mark in '26 finals. This ties their biggest pro title to date, another $75K on home soil in Prague earlier this season.

The sisters are 22-1 together in '26, 17-1 in ITF play and 5-0 in their final junior event as a team at the Australian Open. They ended '25 on an 11-match ITF streak, and won their final 18 matches as a team in junior play.
===============================================
JUNIOR STAR: Maaya Rajechwaran Revathi/IND
...the latest entry in the "next Indian women's tennis star" sweepstakes, 17-year old Rajechwaran Revathi continues to add to her list of credits with a birthday week title run.

In Bamberg (GER), the junior #30 claimed her second '26 J300 crown, becoming the first Indian junior with *three* in a career, with a 6-4/6-2 victory in the final over Ukraine's Polina Skliar.

Sklair had defeated Mariella Thamm in the semis, and managed to pick up the doubles titles alongside the same young German.

Last year, a 15-year old Rajechwaran Revathi rode a qualifying wild card all the way to a WTA 125 semifinal in Mumbai.


===============================================
DOUBLES: Tereza Mihalikova/Olivia Nicholls, SVK/GBR
...one of the more under-the-radar combos on tour (w/ grass courts as their specialty), Mihalikova & Nicholls reached their fifth tour-level final (third on grass) as a pair at Queen's Club, winning their third via a 10-5 MTB victory over Leylah Fernandez/Laura Siegemund in the final.

The pair had earlier upset top seeds Danilina/Krunic (the AO, RG and I.W. finalists) and Guo/Mladenovic in a another MTB in the SF.

Mihalikova, a junior star more than a decade ago (when she won AO junior s/d titles, as well as reaching the girls' doubles finals at WI/US, from 2014-16), picks up her third tour-level win, while Nicholls gets her fourth as she becomes the very first Brit to win the Queen's Club women's doubles title (even in the original version of the tournament, they only played WD from 1971-73, when Rosie Casals & Billie Jean King won three straight titles).


===============================================






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1. Queen's Club 2nd Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Tatjana Maria
...6-7(4)/7-5/6-0. Hmmm, maybe if the 38-year old Maria hadn't had to play two additional matches just to get into the MD, this one might have had a different conclusion. The German, a year after upsetting Rybakina in this same event en route to the title, claimed the 1st in a TB after having not been able to close it out at 5-3 earlier in the set.



She led 5-4 in the 2nd, as well, up love/30 on the Kazakh's serve in game 10, but then never won another game down the long stretch. She was a point from forcing another TB at 5-6, but no. Losing her ranking points from her '25 title run, Maria will fall all the way out of the Top 100 on Monday. Though, even with that, she'll still rank ahead of half of the Brits who were placed into the MD via wild cards doled out by the LTA.



Maria was fortunate to even get *this* far, considering that a year after winning the first women's tournament held at Queen's Club since 1973, the reigning champion found herself ranked at #52 (not #300+ or something) and just one spot out of automatically earning a MD slot. Still, being the DC, and just a sliver away from it not being an issue, wasn't enough for the German to be handed a wild card by the LTA, which gave all four to British players (some as a form of "reward" for playing BJK Cup for GBR). Maria had to go through qualifying to have the chance to be the first woman to defend this title in 55 years, and won her 1st Round match to have the chance at a rematch with Rybakina (who was playing her first match of the week, not her fourth).



What made it worse was the shamelessness of those making the decision, and words from the likes of Anne Keothavong (the BJK captain) about no players being "entitled" to a wild card. Well, I guess unless they're British and played a bit of Cup recently... *then* they're entitled.

But, if not the player who won your tournament twelve months ago, then whom?



It's a bit hard to fathom that a WTA tour-level tournament (not a British Tennis Invitational) that didn't exist for half a century would so callously turn its back on the player who *won* the event in its return, but that's just what happened. Throw it on the pile of wrongheaded acts perpetrated by tournaments at this time of the year in recent seasons (see the 2022 bans, as well as Halep never getting her Day 2 Centre Court honor afforded to a Wimbledon champion).

Truthfully, the WTA should make it a rule that any defending champion, should they desire to return, gets an automatic exemption for a MD berth in the event. But, you know, *the WTA*.

But considering the circumstances, as Maria wasn't coming into the event from the distant outskirts of the rankings, such a thing shouldn't have been necessary, anyway.
============================================
2. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Hanne Vandewinkel def. Nikola Bartunkova
...4-6/7-6(5)/7-5. Qualifier Vandewinkel wins a battle with the Czech, who'd rallied from 4-1 back to seize the 1st set and, in a no-break set, led 4-1 in the 2nd set TB. The Belgian never faced a MP, and leveled the match with a 7-5 win.

After falling behind 2-0 in the 3rd, Vandewinkel took at 5-3 lead and had two MP at 5-4 before Bartunkova got the break. But Vandewinkel immediately broke back, then served out the win at love.

Vandewinkel's run ended with a 2nd Round loss to Barbora Krejickova.
============================================



3. Queen's Club Final - Donna Vekic def. Emma Raducanu
...6-0/7-6(6). Vekic's winning Sunday effort was a tale of two matches (or maybe three?).

In the first, Vekic dominated to claim a love opening set. But Raducanu ran off to a 5-2 lead in the 2nd, only to see the Croatian storm back to lead 6-5 and hold three MP. Not so fast, Donna. Raducanu held to force a TB, then rallied from 4-1 down to tie things up a 5-5.

Finally, on the fifth MP, Vekic secured an 8-6 win in the breaker to claim her fifth career tour title, her second on grass (w/ Nottingham '17) after having lost in her last three finals on the surface.


============================================



4. Queen's Club 1st Rd. - Harriet Dart def. Liudmila Samsonova
...5-7/6-4/6-3. #160-ranked Dart got one of the MD wild cards that *didn't* go to #52 Tatjana Maria, who was only the defending champion of the event when it returned to the schedule after a 50+ year absence in 2025.

Dart's win over Samsonova was noted by some as "justifying" her spot in the draw over Maria (not really), but considering that Dart came in with a 20-12 mark in '26 while #35 Samsonova was still in the throes of her latest bad season start (now 7-14), a case could be made that the Brit was the *favorite.*


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5. Queen's Club QF - Katie Boulter def. Elena Rybakina
...7-5/2-6/6-4. Boulter, a two-time Nottingham champ, was the one British wild card who had an equal case to make vs. Maria, and she showed it against world #2 Rybakina, recording the biggest win of her career.

After barely getting by Leylah Fernandez in the 1st Round (winning a 7-5 3rd), Boulter followed a victory over Jaqueline Cristian with her first Top 10 win of the season over Rybakina. It's the fifth of her career, four of which have come on grass (her lone hard court win came in a team event, at the '24 United Cup).



Boulter's run ended in the semis with a loss to Donna Vekic, but she'll climb from #73 back into the Top 60.
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6. Rosmalen Final - Shuko Aoyama/Liang En-shou def. Ingrid Neel/Giuliana Olmos
...6-2/2-6 [10-7]. Aoyama/Liang take the doubles title in Rosmalen, for the third time in the event for the 38-year old Aoyama (21st career) and the maiden tour crown for Liang (playing in her fourth final, with three in '26 w/ three different partners).


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7. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Mia Pohankova def. Clara Tauson
...6-4/6-4. 17-year old '25 Wimbledon junior champ Pohankova makes her tour-level grass court debut (she reached the QF in Chennai in her *tour* debut last October), and adds another log to the growing bonfire that has become Tauson's season.

The Dane -- even with a SF (Abu Dhabi), 1000 QF (Dubai) and 3rd Rounds in AO/IW -- is just 8-12 on the season as she's once again battled injury. This is her *sixth* straight defeat, with her last win coming on March 6 in Indian Wells.

Pohankova lost in the 2nd Round to Magda Linette.


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8. $100K Zagreb CRO Final - Elina Avanesyan def. Kajsa Rinaldo Persson
...6-1/6-3. In a good week for lucky losers, traditionally one of the best LLs around was back to her winning ways.

Avanesyan won a $60K title back in 2021 as a lucky loser, then in 2023 became the first LL to reach the Roland Garros 4th Round in 35 years. Last season, the former Hordette posted her first tour-level MD win under the Armenian flag in Cincinnati as an LL, and last week in the Makarska 125 she lost in qualifying but still managed to play her way into the semifinals, her best result in more than a year, a span during which she has had much difficulty with a bout with mononucleosis.

A Top 40 player just before the start of her health issues, Avanesyan came into the week at #281. She wasn't a lucky loser in Zagreb, but her title run is her first at any level since she claimed a $100K crown in May 2023.


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HM- Modena 125 Final - Katarzyna Kawa def. Lucia Bronzetti
...6-1/4-6/7-6(6). Move over, Sorana Cirstea. Kawa is having her own career year at age 33.

She opened the season with a team title along with her fellow Poles at the United Cup, and the times have remained good.

In May, she won her biggest career title at a 125 in Huzhou (she's 0-2 in WTA finals, including a loss in Bogota last year), and this week in Modena she matched that title run, taking out Noma Noha Akugue, Dominika Salkova and top-seeded Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva to reach the final, where she outlasted Bronzetti.

Kawa had led 6-1/3-0, but after the Italian took an MTO at that point saw the match tilt away from her. Bronzetti stormed back to claim the 2nd, and taking the match into a deciding TB in the 3rd, where she held a MP at 6-5. But Kawa swept the final three points to finally secure the win.

She'll climb to #120 on Monday, not far off her career-high of #112 achieved at the end of the 2020 season.


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1. Queen's Club 1st Rd. - Victoria Mboko/Serena Williams def. Nicole Melichar-Martinez/Erin Routliffe
...7-6(6)/6-2. For the first time since the 2022 U.S. Open, the 44-year old Williams was back, teaming with Mboko to get a win over the tournament's #3-seeded pair.



As it turned out, it was Williams' *only* match at Queen's Club on the week. Next stop: Berlin.
============================================



2. Queen's Club 2nd Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Victoria Mboko
...6-2/3-4 ret. For the third time in '26, Mboko has an injury issue just before a slam.



This time it came when the Canadian wrenched her knee after a split-fall in the backcourt vs. Pliskova, not only forcing her retirement from this match but ending her doubles teaming with Serena Williams after just one match, *and* knocking her out of Wimbledon.



On a side note, considering how injuries have impacted the career of most of Canada's top-ranked players from the past decade -- from Bouchard to Raonic to Andreescu to even Branstine, and now maybe (hopefully not) Mboko -- a tip of the hat to Leylah Fernandez, who while maybe not flying *super* high after her U.S. Open final run in '21 has managed to avoid all that, maintain a ranking in the Top 20/25 and usually win a title and/or make a couple of finals every season.

This week, Fernandez reached the Queen's Club doubles final alongside Laura Siegemund, losing in a MTB in a bid to win her first tour-level doubles crown (she's now 0-5 in WD finals).
============================================
3. Rosmalen 1st Rd. - Panna Udvardy def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...6-4/7-6(5). Like fellow Hordette Samsonova, Alexandrova is maintaining a high ranking (#17 coming in) despite a very poor season so far. This loss dropped her to 6-14 in '26 (1-7 in her last eight). She'd been to the SF four straight years at Rosmalen, winning the title in 2022-23.

Half of Alexandrova's wins came in a single event (a final in Abu Dhabi).


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HM- Ilkley 125 1st Rd. - Dasha Vidmanova def. Linda Fruhvirtova
...6-7(6)/7-6(10)/6-2. Vidmanova, in just her second career grass match (she got two games off Caty McNally last year in Newport), wins the 3:42 battle of Czechs.

Fruhvirtova twice failed to serve out the 1st set, but rallied from 5-3 down in the TB to claim the match lead on her third SP.

The 2nd set saw Vidmanova saved three MP in game 12, holding to force a TB. She had a pair of SP at 6-4, but ultimately had to save two more MP in the breaker before finally securing the set (w/ a 12-10 win) on her fifth SP. She then took the 3rd.

The Czech ultimately reached the SF, falling vs. Ashlyn Krueger.
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Okay, but let's call this what it is, a popularity contest vote after every "swing" on the schedule. I mean, they actually did a "Star of the Swing" vote after *Sabalenka won the Sunshine Double* earlier this year, as if there was any other answer. She *did* win, with 41% (less than Chwalinska got on this vote), meaning that *59%* said *someone else* was the star of the Indian Wells/Miami stretch.

This time, the winner finishes ahead of the Roland Garros champion -- who defeated her, as well as winning another title and having more wins than any other player during the clay season -- despite Maja playing in *one* tour-level event all spring, and claiming no actual WTA titles.

The WTA is really, really bad at these things. All they have to do with this is have it called "Breakthrough Star of the Swing" (or something like that) and it doesn't look ridiculous.


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*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Abu Dhabi - Sara Bejlek, CZE (20/#101)
Merida - Cristina Bucsa, ESP (28/#63)
Rabat - Petra Marcinko, CRO (20/#76)
Rosmalen - ROBIN MONTGOMERY, USA (21/#484)
[doubles]
Rouen - Jesika Maleckova, CZE (31)
Rabat - Eudice Chong, HKG (30)
Rosmalen - LIANG EN-SHOU, TPE (25)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA FINALISTS*
Sara Bejlek, CZE (#101/20 = Abu Dhabi)=W
Taylor Townsend, USA (#119/29 = Austin)
Yuliia Starodubtseva, UKR (#89/26 = Charleston)
Panna Udvardy, HUN (#92/27 = Bogota)
Veronika Podrez, UKR (#209/19 = Rouen)
Petra Marcinko, CRO (#76/20 = Rabat)=W
Maja Chwalinska, POL (#114/24 = Roland Garros)
ROBIN MONTGOMERY, USA (#484/21 = Rosmalen)=W

*LUCKY LOSERS-TO-WTA CHAMPIONS*
1980 Las Vegas - Andrea Jaeger, USA
2018 Moscow River Cup - Olga Danilovic, SRB
2019 Linz - Coco Gauff, USA
2023 Budapest - Maria Timofeeva, RUS
2023 Prague - Nao Hibino, JPN
2023 Cleveland - Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
2026 Queen's Club - Donna Vekic, CRO
--
NOTE #1: Kay McDaniel won Avon Futures event at LL in 1980
NOTE #2: sources differ over whether Andrea Jaeger was LL when she won LV title

*2026 WTA BEST LL RESULTS*
W: Donna Vekic, CRO (Queen's Club 500)
SF: Anastasia Potapova, AUT (Madrid 1000)
QF: Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA (Doha 1000)
QF: Antonia Ruzic, CRO (Dubai 1000)
QF: Yuan Yue, CHN (Merida 500)

*2026 QUALIFIERS IN WTA FINALS*
Hobart - Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA -W
Abu Dhabi - Sara Bejlek, CZE -W
Rouen - Veronika Podrez, UKR
Roland Garros - Maja Chwalinska, POL
Rosmalen - ROBIN MONTGOMERY, USA -W

*2026 LOW-RANKED WTA FINALISTS*
#484 - ROBIN MONTGOMERY (Rosmalen, W w/o Krejickova)
#209 - Veronika Podrez (Rouen, lost to Kostyuk)
#124 - Tamara Korpatsch (Ostava, lost to Boulter)
#119 - Taylor Townsend (Austin, lost to Stearns)
#114 - Maja Chwalinska (R.Garros, lost to Andreeva)
#101 - Sara Bejlek (Abu Dhabi, def. Alexandrova)

*LOW-RANKED WTA CHAMPIONS (2020-26)*
#508 - Elina Svitolina (2023 Strasbourg def. Blinkova)
#484 - ROBIN MONTGOMERY (2026 Rosmalen w/o Krejcikova)
#246 - Maria Timofeeva (2023 Budapest def. Baindl)
#237 - Tatjana Maria (2022 Bogota def. Pigossi)
#214 - Sarah Rakotomanga (2025 Sao Paulo def. Tjen)
#180 - Camila Osorio (2021 Bogota def. Zidansek)

*U.S. WOMAN WINS MAIDEN WTA TITLE - since 2015*
2015: Sloane Stephens (Washington)
2016: Irina Falconi (Bogota)
2016: Christina McHale (Tokyo JWO)
2017: Lauren Davis (Auckland)
2019: Sofia Kenin (Hobart)
2019: Amanda Anisimova (Bogota)
2019: Jessica Pegula (Washington)
2019: Coco Gauff (Linz)
2020: Jennifer Brady (Lexington)
2021: Danielle Collins (Palermo)
2021: Ann Li (Tenerife)
2022: Bernarda Pera (Budapest)
2023: Alycia Parks (Lyon)
2023: Ashlyn Krueger (Osaka)
2024: Emma Navarro (Hobart)
2024: Peyton Stearns (Rabat)
2024: McCartney Kessler (Cleveland)
2025: Iva Jovic (Guadalajara)
2026: Robin Montgomery (Rosmalen)

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA FINALISTS BY COUNTRY*
6 - USA
...Gauff,Navarro,MONTGOMERY,Pegula,Stearns,Townsend
5 - UKR
...Kalinina,Kostyuk,Podrez,Starodubtseva,Svitolina
4 - CZE
...Bejlek,Bouzkova,KREJCIKOVA,Muchova
2 - CRO
...Marcinkox,VEKIC
2 - GBR
...Boulter,Raducanu
2 - POL
...Chwalinska,Frech
2 - RUS
...Alexandrova,M.Andreeva
--
1 - AUT,BLR,CAN,CHN,ESP,GER,HUN,ITA,KAZ,ROU

*2026 OLDEST WTA WD/MX FINALISTS*
41 - Vera Zvonareva (Rabat)
41 - Vera Zvonareva (Dubai)
40 - Hsieh Su-wei (Doha)
40 - Hsieh Su-wei (Brisbane)-W
39 - Sara Errani (Roland Garros MX)-W
38 - Sara Errani (Miami)
38 - SHUKO AOYAMA (Rosmalen)-W
38 - LAURA SIEGEMUND (Queen's Club)
37 - Laura Siegemund (Dubai)
37 - Zhang Shuai (Stuttgart)
37 - Zhang Shuai (Linz)-W






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A little preview of Independence Day.

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— Hillary Rodham Clinton (@hillaryclinton.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 10:28 AM

We have exclusive photos of Donald Trump as he watches his name taken off the #KennedyCenter

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— ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Proud Canadian ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ (@beppil007.bsky.social) June 12, 2026 at 11:43 PM

Estimates are in that more Americans watched the removal of Trumpโ€™s name from the Kennedy Center than watched the USA v. Paraguay World Cup match. #KennedyCenter #WorldCup #USAPAR

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— Dick Mac (alive!) (@dickmac999.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 7:09 AM

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is fresh and minty again.

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— USA_Patriot_76 (@usa-patriot-76.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 12:13 AM


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— Mbsolheim (@mbsolheim.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 12:26 AM


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The fight America wants to see anntelnaes.substack.com/p/the-fight-...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 11, 2026 at 2:16 PM


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A friend posted this and I had to share it!

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— T-Lu (@tamilu40.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 7:34 PM


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All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 10:40 PM  2 comments