Sunday, November 01, 2026

Wk.43- Big Shnaider in Little Tokyo


Diana got the beat...







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*WEEK 43 CHAMPIONS*
TOKYO, JAPAN (WTA 500; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Diana Shnaider/RUS def. Leylah Fernandez/CAN 6-4/5-7/6-2
WD: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (ITA/ITA) def. Gaby Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani (CAN/BRA) 6-2/6-2
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (WTA 250; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Harriet Dart/GBR def. Lilli Tagger/AUT 4-6/6-3/6-4
WD: Polina Kudermetova/Maria Timofeeva (UZB/UZB) def. Cho Yi-tsen/Cho I-hsuan (TPE/TPE) 7-5/7-6(1)
Courmayeur, Italy (WTA 125; Hard Court Indoor)
S: Alina Charaeva/ARM def. Noma Noha Akugue/GER 6-3/6-4
D: Catherine Harrison/Dalyna Hewitt (USA/USA) def. Madeleine Brooks/Lisa Zaar (GBR/SWE) 6-4/6-4
Queretaro, Mexico (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Bianca Andreescu/CAN def. Tatjana Maria/GER 6-1/2-6/6-3
D: Sofia Costoulas/Valeriya Strakhova (BEL/UKR) def. Marian Gomez Pezuela Cano/Nadia Podoroska (MEX/ARG) 6-1/6-1
Curitiba, Brazil (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Alice Tubello/FRA def. Julia Grabher/AUT 3-6/7-6(5)/7-6(2)
D: Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic (SLO/SLO) def. Laura Pigossi/Nana Silva (BRA/BRA) 6-4/6-2




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Diana Shnaider/RUS
...Shnaider's teaming with "Big Sascha" Bajin has reaped big-time dividends in their first full season together since first teaming up in August of last year. Bajin has proven to not be *everyone's* cup of tea, but when things click his charges definitely see results. Shnaiders seems to fit pretty snugly into that category, as the 22-year old Hordette's year-long forward progress finally culminated this weekend in Tokyo with her first '26 final (after going 0-4 in previous SF) and singles title, lifting her up to #11 in the rankings and setting the stage for a possible Top 10 debut early in 2027.

Having already put together QF and SF finishes in Wuhan and Ningbo this fall, Shnaider was a Hordette on a mission this week. After a win over Aliaksandra Sasnovich, she outlasted Alex Eala in three sets (getting her second win over the Filipina in as many weeks) and then defeated first-time tour semifinalist Mia Pohankova in straight sets to reach the final.

After letting her early dominance get away from her in the title match against Leylah Fernandez, during which Shnaider had led 6-4/4-0 and served for the match at 5-4, the Russian reclaimed her edge in the 3rd and put away the deciding set at 6-2 to take the crown.

Since the start of summer hard courts, Shnaider has gone 20-7.

Already with her first slam SF run (RG) and #1 wins (Sabalenka in the semis in Paris) on her '26 resume, Shnaider's victory here gives her six career tour singles titles, with a 6-1 career mark in finals (and six straight wins). She'll climb back up to her previous career high (from May '25) of #11, and is around 700 points out of the Top 10 as (most likely, unless something weird happens and she somehow is an alternate who sees action at the WTAF -- she's also #11 in the Race) she closes out her season on a great high note, with seemingly even more room to grow.
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RISERS: Leylah Fernandez/CAN and Lilli Tagger/AUT
...in 2026, Fernandez has made an art -- with some Asian flavoring -- out of turning around what had been a trying season and turning it into one to be proud of.

After starting 2026 at 2-7, Fernandez stuggled through the spring before finally finding a bit of hope with a trio of QF runs (Stuttgart, Madrid and Strasbourg) on the clay. Still, with three different 3+ match losing streaks on the year, the former U.S. Open finalist was just 12-19 when the summer hard court schedule kicked off.

Since then, though, the Canadian has put together a 19-8 stretch on hard courts, including a 14-4 run during the Asian swing that has seen her reach three tour-level finals in a little over a month, winning a title in Singapore and being runner-up both last week in Ningbo and this week in Tokyo (she also posted a 3rd result in Wuhan).

After Tokyo wins over Himeno Sakatsume and Elise Mertens, Fernandez got a QF walkover from Elena Rybakina (who'd defeated Fernandez last weekend in the Ningbo title match, but had already completed her Tokyo assignment of collecting a single win to wrap up the season-ending #1 ranking) and then defeated Kamilla Rakhimova to reach her 11th career tour-level singles final.

Against Diana Shnaider, Fernandez pulled out of a 6-4/4-0 hole, and the Russian serving at 5-4, to force a deciding 3rd set before coming up short in a 6-4/5-7/6-2 contest.



This week's result will lift Fernandez into the Top 20 at #19, giving her a real shot at her best career season-ending standing (she's still set to play in Hong Kong, where she reached the SF last year). Since her #24 finish at the close of her U.S. Open final season in 2021, Fernandez has seen her year-end ranking rise every year from 2022 through '25, with a string of 40-35-31-22 finishes that could again she an increase if she maintains her new standing through the final two weeks of the WTA season.

Back at the start of the summer, when she was staring down what was maybe going to be the most disappointing season of her career, such a thing seemed a long, long way from being a potential reality. And yet. She should be proud of herself.



In Guangzhou, Tagger reached her third tour-level final in less than a year (she won her maiden title this year in Prague), as the 18-year old opened with victories over 46-year old Venus Williams (now w/ 16 consecutive losses) and veteran Magda Linnette, then rallied from a break down twice in the 3rd to edge past Shi Han. After allowing just two games to Kaitlin Quevedo in the SF, the Austrian faced off with first-time tour finalist Harriet Dart for the title.

Tagger took the opening set, but lost in three to the Brit, who became the oldest first-time WTA singles champion in more than three years.
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SURPRISES: Kamilla Rakhimova/UZB and Alina Charaeva/ARM
...surely, Rakhimova didn't expect that after falling in the final round of Tokyo qualifying to Aliaksandra Sasnovich that she'd go on to have her very best week of the 2026 season, her first under the flag of Uzbekistan since officially switching her representation last December.

When #4 seed Belinda Bencic (the '25 champ) decided that Tokyo was a no-go, not only did Rakhimova enter the MD as a lucky loser, but she got the Swiss vet's 1st Round bye, as well. From there, she won a 3rd set TB over Ekaterina Alexandrova and then won another three-setter over Maya Joint to reach her first SF of the seaon and first at tour-level since 2024 (Bogota and Rabat).



Rakhimova fell vs. a well-rested Leylah Fernandez (who'd received a QF walkover from Elena Rybakina) in the semis, but will crack the Top 50 for the first time on Monday.

Rakhimova's Tokyo run was the fourth SF+ result from a LL this season, matching the earlier finishes of Anastasia Potapova (Madrid) and Petra Marcinko (Eastbourne) that have been bested by only Donna Vekic's title run at Queen's Club.

Meanwhile, Charaeva has already had her season/career-high moment this fall, upsetting #1 Elena Rybakina in Beijing in what was the Kazakh's first match in the top spot. But she's not finished with 2026 yet.

This week in Courmayeur (ITA), the Armenian won her second 125 crown of the season (in her third '26 final) with a 6-3/6-4 win in the title match over Germany's Noma Noha Akugue (in her second 125 final since September, after taking home multiple challenger titles this year).

Charaeva, 24, has reached the Beijing Round of 16 and Sao Paulo QF at tour level this 4th Quarter, going 11-5 since falling in U.S. Open qualifying. She'll climb up to a career high of #82 on Monday, meaning her breakthrough season will include her first Top 100 season finish after previously having just one Top 200 year (#161 last season) in her career.

Alina Ascends It's gonna take something BIG to top a milestone like defeating the world #1. But, after Alina Charaeva toppled Elena Rybakina in Beijing, the Russian-turned-Armenian scores her 2nd WTA 125 title of 2026, defeating Noma Noha Akugue, 6-3, 6-4.

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— Tick Tock Tennis (@ticktocktennis.bsky.social) November 1, 2026 at 11:59 AM

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VETERAN: Harriet Dart/GBR
...if took five months, but Dart eventually got *something* of a last laugh.

In a harsh spotlight this summer when she was one of the lower-ranked Brits given wild cards by the LTA into the Queen's Club MD, forcing defending champion Tatjana Maria (ranked barely out of range to be automatically included in the draw) to go through qualifying, Dart posted a 1st Round win but went out a round later and ultimately ended the grass season on a four-match losing streak.

Flashfoward to this week, and Dart was the one having to fight her way through the muck. The 30-year old was down a set and 4-2 to Hong Kong's Shek Cheuk-ying (#632) in the opening round of Guangzhou qualifying, but managed to win and reach the MD. There she posted wins over Tatiana Prozorova, #2 seed Janice Tjen and Paula Badosa in her first tour-level QF since Eastbourne two years ago. In her first SF since Cluj that same season, Dart saved three MP vs. Sun Xinran, then won a 7-1 TB and claimed a love 3rd set as the 16-year old struggled with a leg injury.

In her maiden tour singles final, Dart had to rally from a set down vs. Lilli Tagger, winning her fifth consecutive three-setter in the event (and sixth in seven matches), to pick up her first career WTA title. Dart is the oldest first-time WTA singles champion since a 32-year old Arantxa Rus in Hamburg in 2023.

Dart jumps 34 spots to #84 in the new rankings.

Meanwhile, Maria was also in the news this week, reaching the final (at age 39) in a 125 in Queretaro, Mexico.
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COMEBACK: Bianca Andreescu/CAN
...well, well, well. Look at Andreescu showing a heaping helping of health and guile. In November, no less.

After years of battles with injury since her career year in 2019, the Canadian -- albeit at levels below the WTA tour -- has managed to play maybe her most complete season ever. Already with a pair of challenger titles to her credit in '26, her first singles crowns since that '19 campaign (which included wins in Indian Wells, Toronto and the U.S. Open), two weeks ago Andreescu maneuvered her way through a week of action in Rovereto, Italy that was filled with the sort of combination of MTOs, resilience and drama that was her signature during her brief rise to the top. Her reward was her biggest title in seven years.

This week, she was back for more.

In another 125 in Queretaro, Mexico, Andreescu kept the drama to a minimum and put together another final run, dropping no sets while allowing more than three games in just one of her opening six sets. In the final on Sunday, she went three sets in a 6-1/2-6/6-3 defeat of 39-year old Tatjana Maria to win her second straight title, running her winning streak to ten matches (she's 12-1 in her last 13).



Andreescu now stands at an overall 40-18 (though just 2-8 in MD WTA matches). It's both her most match wins and total matches played since 2019 (when she was a combined 48-7), after she played a *total* of 36 matches over the last three seasons (2023-25), as well as 37 over a two-year span in 2021-22. She didn't play a single match in 2020.

Andreescu will nearly be back in the Top 100 on Monday, up to #109, her best standing since May of last year.
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FRESH FACES: Mia Pohankova/SVK and Kaitlin Quevedo/ESP
...18-year old Pohankova, the Wimbledon girls' champ just last year, rode her wild card into the Tokyo MD to her biggest tour-level result. After an opening win over Tereza Valentova, the Slovak posted her first career Top 20 win with an upset of Naomi Osaka, then followed that up by getting past Alycia Parks to reach her first career WTA semifinal (she'd reached one previous QF, in her tour MD debut in Chennai last fall).

Pohankova was ousted in the semis by Diana Shnaider, but will climb into the Top 120 for the first time in the new rankings.



Already a maiden tour title winner in 2026, having picked up the win in Sao Paulo in September, 20-year Quevedo reached her second WTA semifinal in Guangzhou with victories over Sofia Kenin, Anna Bondar and Jil Teichmann. A win from her second final of the season, though, she got just two games off Lilli Tagger. She'll jump double-digit spots to a new career high of #71.

Of course, as is often the case with the WTA, Quevedo garnered as much attention "off court" as on it, as the Spaniard initially wasn't allowed by the tour to wear a black mourning armband during the week that would have served to honor those killed and injured in this week's deadly train crash in Spain. The WTA cited a policy that prohibits symbols and slogans. here



I'm not sure how honoring dead accident victims was seen to serve as a "symbol and/or slogan," especially considering how the tour allowed players (even non-Ukrainians) to wear Ukraine flags on their attire following Russia's invasion of the nation back in 2022, an allowance which turned out to be the first mistep in a series of such decisions that can arguably be directly linked to this season's year-long, anarchic spectacle of a player feeling free to attack with impunity fellow tour members and upcoming opponents through social media and press interviews via increasingly volatile accusations based on their nation of origin, friends on tour and particular tournaments in which they may have appeared years ago.

It is said that the worst behavior you allow becomes the standard, and the WTA has surely led itself down that wayward path. Yet it picks odd, often contradictory and/or hypocritical, moments to take a stand.

I don't know if the stated apparent policy has changed recently or not, leading to the original Quevedo decision, but if not then the haphazard enforcement of it is just another flaming log atop the pile of mismanagement that embodies the modern WTA.

Are there actual, potentially stringent, rules about any sort of personal declarations on court? (Shrugs.)

Hence, it should come as no surprise that the tour not only failed to back up the original Quevedo ruling, nor explain it with any sort of legitimate reasoning beyond the vague "policy" note, and then as soon as the move received public criticism the decision was hastily reversed after "internal discussions" and Quevdo was allowed to sport the black armband for her semifinal match.

So, are there rules or not? What exactly are they? And why are players from one nation allowed to spout political commentary before and after matches, and conduct themselves in similar ways *during* and immediately after play if such political posturing and stances are "against policy?"

(Crickets.)

Ultimately, the seemingly reasonable decision won out in the end here, but whether even something as sincere as Quevedo's request should have *remained* denied in order to maintain a policy of not allowing political stances (and/or grandstanding) of *any* kind remains a legitimate topic of conversation. So this situation proved to be entirely unenlightening, and was more of a one-step-forward, one-step-back (or vice versa) moment.

But even that didn't occur until chalking up another week in which the WTA's inconsistent policies, spotty enforcement of rules and general "toothless" lack of will (see China, women's rights, online abuse of players, etc.) saw the tour pull off the rare two-headed public display of showing itself to not only be "overbearingly officious," but also somehow "lacking in backbone." So, you know, bravo to them. I guess?

Of course, I'm sure it won't the *last* time this sort of unmasking happens. So stay tuned.


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ITF WORLD TENNIS: Caroline Dolehide/USA
...a former Top 50 player (w/ a high of #41 in 2023) and two-time tour singles finalist (in 2023-24, including the Guadalajara 1000 two years ago), Dolehide has seen her singles fortunes take a downturn in recent seasons.

But the 28-year old found a highlight week in the New Braunfels challenger in Texas, posting back-to-back wins over teenage foes in 16-year old Kristina Liutova (SF) and 17-year old Julieta Pareja (F) en route to what was her second $100K title run of the season (w/ Evansville in July). The two wins are the biggest of her singles career.

She'll jump 50 spots in the new rankings, climbing back inside the Top 200 to around #172.

Of note, Pareja, her opponent in the final, also came in ranked outside the Top 200. She'd made headlines last year in Bogota when she reached the SF in her tour-level debut in Bogota, at the time becoming the youngest to reach a WTA SF since Coco Gauff in 2019 (the same feat that 16-year old Sun Xinran topped this week in Guangzhou).

Pareja will climb 30+ spots on Monday, achieving a new career high ranking at #202.
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JUNIOR STARS: Sun Xinran/CHN and Nana Silva/BRA
...the junior #1's season continued its gradual season-long crescendo in Guangzhou, as 16-year old Sun nearly reached her maiden tour-level singles final.

Already having appeared in three consecutive junior slam finals, finally getting the win at the U.S. Open, Sun has raised her level still higher during the WTA's Asian swing. After reaching the 3rd Round in her WTA debut in Beijing, Sun dipped back down to the junior level and won the circuit's Finals event in Chengdu, going a combined 5-0 with wins over former girls' #1 Ksenia Efremova (the '26 AO Jr. champ), #2-seeded Jana Kovackova (winner of three '26 girls' doubles majors), and a pair of victories over Anna Pushkareva, her opponent in both the Wimbledon and U.S. finals. Sun won a three-set final vs. the Hordette.

Sun has won 11 straight matches at the junior level, reaching the final in seven of her eight events in 2026 (falling only in the AO QF).

Back at tour level in Week 43 in Guangzhou, Sun continued her run. A win over Mananchaya Sawangkaew was followed by a comeback from 5-2 in the 3rd vs. Maria Timofeeva in which the teenager saved a MP and won a deciding TB even while fighting through a leg injury to reach her maiden WTA QF. From there, Sun became the youngest tour semifinalist since a 15-year old Coco Gauff in 2019 (Linz) with a straight sets win over Claire Liu, saving five SP/BP in the 2nd (from 15/40 down at 5-6) and finishing things off with another TB win.

With the final on the line vs. Harriet Dart, Sun led the veteran Brit by a set. The Chinese youngster had three MP in the 2nd set, only to lose a 7-1 TB and then falter down the stretch in a love 3rd set loss as her week-long injury battle finally proved too much to successfully play through.

Sun will climb over 100 spots in the pro rankings, coming in a just outside the Top 300 on Monday. She's the youngest player in the Top 500.

Meanwhile, another 16-year old (just four months older than Sun) starred at the pro level this past week, as Silva reached the singles semis and doubles final at the 125 event on home clay in Curitiba, Brazil.

After a three-set win over Despina Papamichail in the 1st Round, Silva notched her first career Top 100 victory when top seed Francesca Jones retired in their QF match. The teenager couldn't handle the game of Pastry Alice Tubello in the SF, getting just one game, but will still climb nearly 150 spots in the pro rankings to #460.

Silva is now the BRA #5 behind the only the likes of Laura Pigossi, Carolina Alves, Gabriela Ce and Beatriz Haddad Maia, all four 30+ year old veterans. She joins Sun, Kristina Liutova and Jana Kovackova as the only 16-year olds in the Top 500.

Silva teamed with Pigossi to reach the doubles final in the teen's biggest pro final to date. The two, with Pigossi *twice* Silva's age at 32, teamed to win a $75K challenger title in July.


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DOUBLES: Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, ITA/ITA
...after a year of disappointment and, due to Paolini's lack of form in singles and injury limitations, the Italians weren't the regular doubles partners that they have been in recent seasons, during which they won nine titles from 2023-25, including the '25 RG and '24 Olympics.

Teamed up in Tokyo, and with the final spot in the WTA Finals doubles field available due to Aleksandra Krunic's U.S. Open knee injury (meaning she and Anna Daniliina, #4 in the Race, will miss Indian Wells), the Italians played their final card and won, securing a WTAF berth *and* walking away with an eleventh-hour 2026 WD title after not having won together since Beijing last October (their only other '26 final together had come in Miami).

The duo's 2 & 2 win in the final over Dabrowski/Stefani, who were looking for a fourth straight '26 title and were on a 17-match winning streak, gives the Italians ten titles as a team, Errani her 37th and Paolini her 11th. It'll be their third straight WTAF doubles appearance, and the sixth of Errani's career (she also played in the singles twice), though Paolini won't make it three consecutive years participating in *both* singles and doubles.

Though they're likely a longshot in the desert (though, who knows), if the pair were to win their first WTAF title it would add Errani's name to the short list of women who've collected doubles titles at all four majors, the Olympics and the WTA Finals. The only others to do it are Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez, Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.


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1. Guangzhou SF - Harriet Dart def. Sun Xinran
...5-7/7-6(1)/6-0. After having saved a MP earlier in the week and fighting her way through injury to her maiden semifinal, the teenager couldn't convert on three MP opportunities here before her injury finally caught up with her in the 3rd set.

Sun saw her 4-1 1st set lead turn into a 5-4 deficit before she reeled Dart back and won three straight games to take the match lead. The junior #1 held three MP at 5-4 against the Brit in the 2nd, then lost a 7-1 TB before seeing her 30-year old opponent pull off the love set win to reach her maiden tour-level singles final.

Hey, from Dart's point of view, Sun still has a wide open fourteen-year window to do the same.


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2. Tokyo Final - Diana Shnaider def. Leylah Fernandez
...6-4/5-7/6-2. Shnaider was a dominant force in the final, until she wasn't... and then she was again.

Shnaider led Fernandez 6-4/4-0, and served for her first '26 title at 5-4. But the Canadian got the break on her third BP of the game, then followed up with a serve-and-break combo to knot the match.

But Fernandez's rally proved to be short lived, as Shnaider reasserted her control of things in the 3rd, winning 6-2 in the decider.

Shnaider is the third different Hordette to win a tour singles title in 2026, behind only the contingents from the U.S. (7) and Czech Republic (6). At just 22, following the likes of Mirra Andreeva and Kristina Liutova into the winner's circle, Shnaider is the oldest of the trio.
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3. Guangzhou Final - Harriet Dart def. Lilli Tagger
...4-6/6-3/6-4. Dart becomes the 12th first-time WTA singles champion this season, the oldest since Arantxa Rus (Hamburg) in 2023, as well as the fourth tour champ this season to save MP (3 vs. Sun in the SF) and go on to win the title.



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4. Guangzhou 2nd Rd. - Sun Xinran def. Maria Timofeeva
...6-3/4-6/7-6(3). At it again in her second tour-level event, 16-year old girls' #1 Sun leads Timofeeva 6-3/3-1, before seemingly playing through a leg injury down the stretch that limited her movement around the court. She trailed 5-2 in the 3rd, saving a MP at 5-3 on return, then battled all the way back into winning position, taking a deciding 7-3 TB to reach her first WTA singles QF.


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5. Tokyo QF - Diana Shnaider def. Alex Eala
...2-6/7-6(5)/6-4. Shnaider wins a battle of Top 20 foes, pulling away from a 2nd set tie at 4-4, denying Eala four BP, then again from 5-5 in the TB (after she'd lost a 5-3 edge in the breaker) to win 7-5 and force a 3rd set.

Shnaider grabbed a break edge in game 3, and never relinquished her lead, holding in all five final set service games (she faced just one BP in the 3rd, in what turned out to be the final game) to defeat Eala for the second straight event (after a 5 & 4 win in the Ningbo 2r).


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6. Tokyo 2nd Rd. - Elena Rybakina def. Yulia Putintseva
...6-2/6-3. Needing just one match win (in Tokoyo or Indian Wells) to officially secure the year-end #1 ranking (according to the WTA, unless someone over there says "oops," which has been known to happen), Rybakina gets it over fellow Kazakh Putintseva, becoming the 17th different woman to end a season as the women's singles #1.

As has become her way in 2026, Rybakina finished off her big moment with an ace.



Needing just that one win, Rybakina was soon off for #1 parts unknown, withdrawing from her QF match (you're welcome, Leylah) with a "neck injury."

To be continued, for one more 2026 chapter (and maybe a final victory lap), in Indian Wells.
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7. Guangzhou 1st Rd. - Dayana Yastremska def. Katie Volynets
...7-5/1-6/7-6(7). Try as she might, Volynets couldn't put Yastremska away. The Bannerette led 5-2 in the 3rd, ultimately holding six MP over three different games. One on serve at 5-2, two more a game later, and then three *more* on serve again at 5-4. Yastremska finally got the game 10 break on her fifth BP chance.

Tied up a 4-4 in the deciding TB, Yastremska needed four MP of her own to win 9-7 and complete her comeback.

It's Yastremska's third tour-level MD win from MP down on the season, tying for the season lead (w/ Cristian).
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8. Curitiba 125 Final - Alice Tubello def. Julia Grabher
...3-6/7-6(5)/7-6(2). The Pastry wins a wild one in Brazil, prevailing in a nearly three and a half hour match in which she trailed Grabher 6-3/5-2 (the Austrian served for the match) and was then down 3-1 in the 3rd. After Tubello rallied to lead 5-3 and serve for the match, she was eventually forced to win a second straight TB to claim the crown.

The 25-year old ranked as high as #219 in August 2024, but after missing seven months of action in '25 (she played one match from late October '24 until July '25) she found herself ranked at #712 just one year later.

With a pair of challenger titles and this biggest crown of her career, after first cracking the Top 200 this summer, Tubello will rise to a new career-high of #152 on Monday.

Alone in Wonderland After tumbling all the way out of the top 700 last year, Alice Tubello secures the biggest title of her career at the WTA 125 in Curitiba, Brazil. The 25yo Frenchwoman will rocket 55 spots to a new career high ranking of #152.

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— Tick Tock Tennis (@ticktocktennis.bsky.social) November 1, 2026 at 12:44 PM

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9. Guangzhou 1st Rd. - Claire Liu def. Antonia Ruzic
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-4. Ruzic rallied from 4-2 down in the 2nd to take a 5-4 lead, holding two MP on return. But Liu held off the Croat, took a 7-5 TB to force a deciding 3rd set, then got the win to avoid her third straight 1st Round exit during this year's Asian swing (after Wuhan, then Osaka after getting through qualifying).

Liu was "rewarded" for this effort by being given a 2nd Round walkover from Osaka champ Katerina Siniakova, only to fall in straight sets to 16-year old Sun Xinran after being unable to convert any of five SP/BP at 6-5 in the 2nd.
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10. Guangzhou QF - Lilli Tagger def. Shi Han
...6-4/3-6/7-5. In her first tour-level QF, and seeking more, Shi twice held a break lead in the 3rd vs. the teenager, including being up 4-3, 30/love at one point. After Tagger battled back to hold a MP at 5-4, Shi held serve to stay in the match, only to fall victim to one of the Austrian's solid finishes, as Tagger ended the match with a love hold and then rallied from 40/15 down to break Shi to get the win.

Since the tour turned to the Asian continent, Shi has made a name for herself. She qualified in four straight events -- Beijing, Suzhou 125, Wuhan and Ningbo -- and then reached her maiden WTA QF as a wild card in Guangzhou. She's gone a combined 11-5, recording wins over the likes of Alex Eala, Kamilla Rakhimova, Peyton Stearns and Dayana Yastremska. She'll crack the Top 150 on Monday.
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11. $75K Poitiers FRA Final - Veronika Podrez def. Oceane Dodin
...6-3/7-5. 19-year old Podrez, an early-season star when she reached the Rouen final in her tour MD debut (after qualifying), defends her Poitiers title from a year ago, picking up her ninth career circuit crown.
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12. $35K Sydney AUS Final - Katie Swan def. Hikaru Sato
...6-1/6-2. The Brit improves to 18-3 in challenger finals during her career.


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1. Guangzhou 1st Rd. - Lilli Tagger def. Venus Williams
...6-2/6-2. Still winless on the season (0-13), with sixteen straight losses (one more and she'll officially make that "longest ever" list), Venus has a 1-20 record back to 2023, and is 8-46 this decade. A wild card in her last 30 tour appearances, she's gone 5-30 in those events.

At 28 years, this was apparently the largest-ever age gap between singles foes in tour history.



Williams went on to reach the doubles SF with Janice Tjen, but fell a round short (w/ a loss to Timofeeva/P.Kudermetova) of what would have been her first doubles final since the 2016 Wimbledon. She's 22-1 in WD finals in her WTA career.
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2. Guangzhou Final - Polina Kudermetova/Maria Timofeeva def. Cho Yi-tsen/Cho I-hsuan
...7-5/7-6(1). Three sisters. Four first-time tour doubles finalists. Two maiden champions.

After winning a 10-6 MTB to eliminate Williams/Tjen in the SF, Kudermetova & Timofeeva become the first all-UZB duo to claim a WTA title.


============================================
3. $75K Poitiers FRA Final - Francisca Jorge/Matilde Jorge def. Estelle Cascino/Feng Shuo
...6-2/7-6(6). The Portuguese sisters claimed their 28th career title together as a duo, winning their third '26 ITF World Tennis crown (25th) to go along with another 125 crown (their third).


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









So *that's* where Olga Danilovic has been this year. Imagine that, having an entire pregnancy without blasting every second of it over social media. It's almost as if it's her *personal life* or something.



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At least they're finally trying to do something different (albeit a one-off for a single event)...




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Of note: a junior from Monaco with a one-handed backhand ala Justine Henin, but named Christine Graf...











Patrick Stewart was a trained Shakespearean actor, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to have fun.

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— Chris Burris (@burriscj.bsky.social) October 29, 2026 at 7:36 PM




We didn't know if we'd ever get to see Steven Tyler & Aerosmith doing this again (though ya kinda figured we might), but this past week in Hollywood...









I have a new post on my author blog Recently published work dianeelaynedeesauthor.blogspot.com/2026/10/rece... #poetry #GloriaSteinem

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) October 26, 2026 at 4:52 PM


I'm very pleased to have another poem published in Snakeskin. I invite you to read "Quandary." (The link is the second one down in the center column of the table of contents.) www.snakeskinpoetry.co.uk

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) November 1, 2026 at 9:25 AM







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Canadian gonna Czech...

















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*WTA SEASON-ENDING #1's - w/ finish the following season*
1975 Chris Evert, USA (1)
1976 Chris Evert, USA (1)
1977 Chris Evert, USA (2)
1978 Martina Navratilova, TCH (1)
1979 Martina Navratilova, TCH (3)
1980 Chris Evert-Lloyd, USA (1)
1981 Chris Evert-Lloyd, USA (2)
1982 Martina Navratilova, USA (1)
1983 Martina Navratilova, USA (1)
1984 Martina Navratilova, USA (1)
1985 Martina Navratilova, USA (1)
1986 Martina Navratilova, USA (2)
1987 Steffi Graf, FRG (1)
1988 Steffi Graf, FRG (1)
1989 Steffi Graf, FRG (1)
1990 Steffi Graf, GER (2)
1991 Monica Seles, YUG (1)
1992 Monica Seles, YUG (8)
1993 Steffi Graf, GER (1)
1994 Steffi Graf, GER (1)
1995 (co) Steffi Graf, GER (1) and Monica Seles, USA (2)
1996 Steffi Graf, GER (28 = injury)
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI (2)
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA (2)
1999 Martina Hingis, SUI (1)
2000 Martina Hingis, SUI (4)
2001 Lindsay Davenport, USA (12 = injury)
2002 Serena Williams, USA (3)
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL (8)
2004 Lindsay Davenport, USA (1)
2005 Lindsay Davenport, USA (25 = injury)
2006 Justine Henin-Hardenne, BEL (1)
2007 Justine Henin, BEL (retired)
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB (8)
2009 Serena Williams, USA (4)
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (10)
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2)
2013 Serena Williams, USA (1)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (1)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (2)
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER (21)
2017 Simona Halep, ROU (1)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (4)
2019 Ash Barty, AUS (1)
2020 Ash Barty, AUS (1)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (retired)
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL (1)
2023 Iga Swiatek, POL (2)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (1)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (current #2)
2026 Elena Rybakina, KAZ

*WTA SEASON-ENDING #1's - won/lost, since 2000*
2000 77-10 = Martina Hingis
2001 62-9 = Lindsay Davenport
2002 56-5 = Serena Williams
2003 75-11 = Justine Henin-Hardenne
2004 63-9 = Lindsay Davenport
2005 60-10 = Lindsay Davenport
2006 60-8 = Justine Henin-Hardenne
2007 63-4 = Justine Henin
2008 65-19 = Jelena Jankovic
2009 50-12 = Serena Williams
2010 62-17 = Caroline Wozniacki
2011 63-17 = Caroline Wozniacki
2012 69-10 = Victoria Azarenka
2013 78-4 = Serena Williams
2014 52-8 = Serena Williams
2015 53-3 = Serena Williams
2016 63-18 = Angelique Kerber
2017 47-17 = Simona Halep
2018 46-11 = Simona Halep
2019 57-13 = Ash Barty
2020 11-3 = Ash Barty
2021 42-8 = Ash Barty
2022 67-9 = Iga Swiatek
2023 68-11 = Iga Swiatek
2024 56-14 = Aryna Sabalenka
2025 63-12 = Aryna Sabalenka
2026 54-14 = Elena Rybakina (to play WTAF)

*WEEK 43 WTA FIRST-TIMERS*
WTA WS W - Harriet Dart (Guangzhou)
WTA WS F - Harriet Dart (Guangzhou)
WTA WS SF - Mia Pohankova (Tokyo)
WTA WS SF - Sun Xinran (Guangzhou)
WTA WD W - Polina Kudermetova (Guangzhou)
WTA WD W - Maria Timofeeva (Guangzhou)
WTA WD F - Cho Yi-tsen (Guangzhou)
WTA WD F - Cho I-hsuan (Guangzhou)
WTA WD F - Polina Kudermetova (Guangzhou)
WTA WD F - Maria Timofeeva (Guangzhou)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA WS 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)
Prague - Lilli Tagger, AUT (18/#74)
Memphis - Kristina Liutova, RUS (16/#229)
Washington - Alex Eala, PHI (21/#28)
Monterrey - Diane Parry, FRA (23/#50)
Sao Paulo - Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP (20/#105)
Seoul - Kimberly Birrell, AUS (28/#60)
Wuhan - Maja Chwalinska, POL (25/#22)
Guangzhou - HARRIET DART, GBR (30/#115)

*2026 TITLES FROM MATCH POINT DOWN*
Indian Wells - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (1 MP vs. Rybakina, F)
Stuttgart - Elena Rybakina, KAZ (2 MP vs. Fernandez, QF)
Wimbledon - Linda Noskova, CZE (MP vs. Cirstea, 3r)
Guangzhou - HARRIET DART, GBR (3 MP vs. Sun, SF)

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2026*
6 - Elena Rybakina (4-2)
5 - Mirra Andreeva (3-2)
5 - Aryna Sabalenka (3-2)
5 - Jessie Pegula (2-3)
4 - Karolina Muchova (2-2)
3 - Marta Kostyuk (2-1)
3 - Elina Svitolina (2-1)
3 - Coco Gauff (1-2)
3 - LEYLAH FERNANDEZ (1-2)
3 - Victoria Mboko (0-3)
[by nation; F(W)]
17 (8) - USA
13 (9) - CZE
11 (5) - UKR
8 (5) - RUS (Shnaider)
6 (4) - KAZ
6 (1) - CAN (Fernanez)
5 (3) - BLR
5 (2) - GBR (Dart)
4 (2) - POL
3 (2) - ESP
3 (1) - AUS
3 (1) - AUT (Tagger)
3 (1) - GER
2 (1) - CHN
2 (1) - CRO
2 (0) - HUN
1 (1) - EGY
1 (1) - FRA
1 (1) - ITA
1 (1) - PHI
1 (1) - ROU
1 (0) - ARG
1 (0) - BEL
1 (0) - GRE
1 (0) - JPN

*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)
Memphis - Kristina Liutova, RUS (W)
Guangzhou - HARRIET DART, GBR (W)

*2026 LOW-RANKED WTA FINALISTS*
#484 - Robin Montgomery, USA (Rosmalen)-W
#317 - Nadia Podoroska, ARG (Sao Paulo)
#229 - Kristina Liutova, RUS (Memphis)-W
#209 - Veronika Podrez, UKR (Rouen)
#170 - Sonay Kartal, GBR (Wuhan)
#124 - Tamara Korpatsch, GER (Ostrava)
#119 - Taylor Townsend, USA (Austin)
#115 - Paula Badosa, ESP (Iasi)
#115 - HARRIET DART, GBR (Guangzhou)-W
[low-ranked SF]
#484 - Robin Montgomery, USA - Rosmalen (W)
#405 - SUN XINRAN, CHN - Guangzhou
#317 - Nadia Podoroska, ARG - Sao Paulo (RU)
#229 - Kristina Liutova, RUS - Memphis (W)
#209 - Veronika Podrez, UKR - Rouen (RU)

*2026 OLDEST WTA FINALISTS*
38 - Tatjana Maria, GER (Eastbourne)
35 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU (Cluj-Napoca)-W
32 - Jessie Pegula, USA (Cincinnati)
32 - Jessie Pegula, USA (Washington)
32 - Jessie Pegula, USA (Berlin)
32 - Jessie Pegula, USA (Charleston)-W
[WTA 125]
39 - TATJANA MARIA, GER (Queretaro)
38 - Tatjana Maria, GER (Newport)
36 - Mona Barthel, GER (Ljubljana)

*MOST WTA SF in 2026*
8 - Jessie Pegula (5-3)
7 - Elena Rybakina (6-1)
7 - Coco Gauff (3-4)
7 - Elina Svitolina (3-4)
6 - Mirra Andreeva (5-1)
6 - Aryna Sabalenka (5-1)
6 - Karolina Muchova (4-2)
5 - Marta Kostyuk (3-2)
5 - Iva Jovic (2-3)
5 - DIANA SHNAIDER (1-4)

*2026 YOUNGEST WTA SF*
16 - SUN XINRAN, CHN (Guangzhou)
16 - Kristina Liutova, RUS (Memphis W)
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Auckland)
18 - Lilli Tagger, AUT (Prague W)
18 - LILLI TAGGER, AUT (Guangzhou RU)
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Adelaide W)
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Linz W)
18 - Mirra Andreeva, RUS (Stuttgart)
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Queen's Club)
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Hobart RU)
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Charleston)
18 - Iva Jovic, USA (Guadalaljara W)
18 - MIA POHANKOVA, SVK (Tokyo)
[WTA 125]
16 - NANA SILVA, BRA (Curitiba)
17 - Lilli Tagger, AUT (Mumbai RU)
17 - Mia Pohankova, SVK (Caldas da Rainha)
17 - Mia Pohankova, SVK (Porto)

*2026 WTA BEST LL RESULTS*
W: Donna Vekic, CRO (Queen's Club)
SF: Anastasia Potapova, AUT (Madrid)
SF: Petra Marcinko, CRO (Eastbourne)
SF: KAMILLA RAKHIMOVA, UZB (Tokyo)
QF: Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA (Doha)
QF: Antonia Ruzic, CRO (Dubai)
QF: Yuan Yue, CHN (Merida)

*2020-26 WTA WD TITLES - DUOS*
14..Krejcikova/Siniakova (1/5/3/3/1/1/0)
10...ERRANI/PAOLINI (0/0/0/1/4/4/1)
8...Aoyama/Shibahara (1/5/0/2/0/0/0)
8...Siniakova/Townsend (0/0/0/0/2/1/5)
8...Dabrowski/Stefani (0/1/1/0/0/0/6)
7...Dabrowski/Routliffe (0/0/0/2/2/3/0)
7...Siegemund/Zvonareva (1/0/2/4/0/0/0)

*CAREER WTA DOUBLES TITLES - active*
39 - Katerina Siniakova
37 - SARA ERRANI
36 - Hsieh Su-Wei
31 - Kristina Mladenovic
[Errani - 37 w/ partners]
22 - Roberta Vinci
10 - JASMINE PAOLINI
1 - Irina-Camelia Begu
1 - Alberta Brianti
1 - Nuria Llagostera-Vives
1 - Flavia Pennetta
1 - Bibiane Schoofs

*WORLD JUNIOR FINALS CHAMPIONS*
2015 Xu Shilin/CHN
2016 Anna Blinkova/RUS
2017 Marta Kostyuk/UKR
2018 Clara Burel/FRA
2019 Diane Parry/FRA
2020-22 - CANCELLED
2023 Alina Korneeva/RUS
2024 Emerson Jones/AUS
2025 Jeline Vandromme/BEL
2026 Sun Xinran/CHN






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Dogs take Halloween too seriously Original post

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— Massimo (mirror) (@rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social) October 31, 2026 at 2:49 AM


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This was an article in the New York Times two years ago. He’s done all of it.

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— Ally Sammarco (@allysammarco.bsky.social) October 28, 2026 at 9:30 AM


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Cartoon by @anntelnaes.bsky.social

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— Econ Analytica (@econanalytica.bsky.social) October 31, 2026 at 8:42 AM


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I think the fact that Marissa Mayer would voluntarily disclose this to a reporter is a pretty good demonstration of how deeply the culture of Silicon Valley has diverged from the rest of humanity

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— Leah Gremlinberg ❌👑 (@leahgreenberg.bsky.social) October 26, 2026 at 10:08 AM

This is probably the best ad I've seen against using generative AI: Mayer, who was an engineer at Google and a chief executive of Yahoo, has rotted her brain so much she can no longer classify her daughter as "empathetic, creative and an animal lover". The slide of competence is incredible.

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— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@ramiismail.com) October 26, 2026 at 10:33 AM


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RIP Captain Picard

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— Luke LeBrun (@lukelebrun.ca) October 29, 2026 at 4:08 PM





All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 10:00 PM  1 comments