Sunday, March 29, 2026

Wk.12- The Sun Shines on Sabalenka







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*WEEK 12 CHAMPIONS*
MIAMI (FLA), UNITED STATES (WTA 1000; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. Coco Gauff/USA 6-2/4-6/6-3
WD: Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend (CZE/USA) def. Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (ITA/ITA) 7-6(0)/6-1
Dubrovnik, Croatia (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP def. Anhelina Kalinina/UKR 3-6/6-4/6-3
D: Anastasia Detiuc/Dominika Salkova (CZE/CZE) def. Jesika Maleckova/Miriam Skoch (CZE/CZE) 7-5/6-4





[Miami 4th Round to Final]



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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR
...while, yes, she can sometimes get in her own way (fitting for a #1 player in this particular sport), but if there were any lingering doubts (especially after Melbourne) about whether Sabalenka is the clear-cut, take-no-prisoners-but-her-own, beatable-only-on-any-given-day-if-you're-fortunate top player in women's tennis, well, Indian Wells and Miami *should* have put any differing notion to rest.

Fact is, though oft-competitive, the argument is not even really a particularly close one (on a normal, day-to-day basis in "real time*) at the moment.

While the WTA Top 4 consist of the current four reigning major champions, one has proven to be more equal than the others. In recent weeks, while Wimbledon champ Iga Swiatek has further fallen off and will soon once again start anew on the coaching front (though "Dr.Daria" remains, so will it matter who fills the spot?), the formerly surging AO champ Elena Rybakina has been cooled with losses to U.S. Open champ Sabalenka on both ends of the Sunshine Swing. And on Saturday, Sabalenka exorcised at least a portion of her (RG champ) Coco Gauff "demons" with a win that puts the world #1 both in elite company, as well as on a tennis island all her own.

(Of course, she'll need to take down Gauff in a final at one of the slam cities to be able to set aside the holy water, candles and Benedictine cross and put those past missed opportunities *truly* in the past.)

After defeating Rybakina two weekends ago in the Indian Wells final, Sabalenka made the cross-country trek to Florida, waded through an embarrassing court-changing situation to take out Ann Li in her opening match, then met all challenges (and there were some minor ones) vs. Caty McNally, Zheng Qinwen and Hailey Baptiste to set up another (this time SF) clash with now-#2 Rybakina. Sabalenka won 6-4/6-3 to reach her second straight Miami final, fourth consecutive Sunshine Swing title match, and sixth straight final over the last two seasons' worth of AO/IW/Miami events.

Coming into the final with a 20-0 mark (40-0 in sets) vs. non-Rybakina opponents this year (she's 2-1, winning five of eight sets vs. the Kazakh), Sabalenka was taken to three sets by soon-to-be-#3 Gauff (who only saw two BP on the day, converting one to claim the 2nd set) before finally getting the 6-2/4-6/6-3 victory to defend her title and become the fifth different woman to complete the Sunshine Double in singles. She's 23-1 overall in 2026.

With her IW/Miami sweep (w/ Elise Mertens) in doubles in 2019, Sabalenka is the first *player* to ever complete the Sunshine Double in *both* singles and doubles in a career.



Only Steffi Graf ever completed the Sunshine Double *twice* in women's singles, in 1994 and '96. So, there's the early goal for 2027, I guess.

On the men's side, Roger Federer did it three times, while Novak Djokovic did it *four* times (aka a "Numbers Guy" special).

Serena Williams never did it, of course, because of her 14-year boycott of the Indian Wells event. She won twice in the desert (1999 and '01) before her long hiatus, and even reached the Miami final in '99 (she fell, naturally, to Venus). Williams went on to take the title in Florida a record *eight* times. Her last Indian Wells final came in 2016, when she was the reigning Miami champ from '15 (she lost in the Round of 16 to Kuznetsova that year, leaving the "Sunshine Double" as one of the few things -- if not the only one -- she never claimed).
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RISERS: Coco Gauff/USA and Karolina Muchova/CZE
...two weeks ago, Gauff was playing with proverbial "house money" in what amounts to her home event in Miami, having never advanced past the Round of 16 in six previous appearances, and coming off an Indian Wells retirement due to an arm injury that left her participation in the back-half of the Sunshine Swing in question. So while she didn't take the title, and had to scrape past early opponents en route to the final, she had a super-successful two weeks during her stop in Florida.

Gauff engaged in four straight three-set affairs in Miami, coming from a set down to defeat Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Alycia Parks, downing Sorana Cirstea to reach her first QF in the event (completing her career set at every 1000 level tournament), and rallying from a break down in the 3rd vs. Belinda Bencic (who had two GP for a 4-2 edge). In the SF, Karolina Muchova once again became an unwilling victim in her career-long series vs. the Bannerette, as Gauff improved to 6-0 (she's lost just one set) with a 1 & 1 dusting of the Czech.

In the final, while Aryna Sabalenka was clearly in charge (unless she suddenly wouldn't have been, though her game never slipped enough to allow such a thing), Gauff still managed to push things to three sets even while putting in seven DF and carving out just two BP on the world #1's serve in the entire match (she put away her last of the day to take the 2nd set) before Sabalenka grabbed a lead in the decider and never gave it up.

Up next: a clay stint that'll end with her Roland Garros title defense.

Gauff moves up the #3 on Monday, becoming the latest player (after Rybakina) to pass Iga Swiatek, who falls to #4.



Until she ultmately met her longstanding obstacle (no, not that one... one on *other* side of the net), Muchova's early-season roll continued through Miami as she followed up her Indian Wells Round of 16 result with a SF finish (by far her best run in the tournament, after never advancing out of the 3rd Rd.) that got her within one win of a return to the Top 10.

Already with a previous '26 SF in Brisbane and drought-ending title in Doha under her belt, the Czech strung together wins over Camila Osorio, Katie Boulter, Alex Eala (love & 2) and Victoria Mboko (her second straight sets win over the Canadian this season), but still found Gauff a puzzle unable to be solved.

Muchova remained winless in her career vs. Gauff with a 6-1/6-1 defeat, a step back from her three-set loss in the 4th Round in Melbourne earlier this year, which had been the only time she's managed to take a set off Coco over their four-season long series.

She'll still rise to #11 on Monday, reclaiming the CZE #1 spot from Linda Noskova and breathing down the neck of #10 Mirra Andreeva (just 128 points ahead). Muchova is #5 in the Points Race.


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SURPRISE: Andrea Lazaro Garcia/ESP
...looking for a "late bloomer" for 2026? Well, the 31-year old Spaniard fits the bill.

Lazaro Garcia, after playing in her biggest career final last month in a 125 in Les Sables d'Olonne (a loss to Dominika Salkova), reached her second 125 title match of the season in Dubrovnik. After taking out Mayar Sherif in the semis, she staved off a BP trailing 6-3/4-4 in the final against Anhelina Kalinina (who was going for a third straight 125 title, in her fourth consecutive final) and went on to claim her biggest career title, 3-6/6-4/6-3.

Lazaro Garcia has now run off a 125 runner-up, a $50K SF and now a 125 title in her last three events, going a combined 12-2.



Lazaro Garcia will climb 23 spots to crack the Top 150 for the first time, putting her Top 100 debut potentially in play before the end of 2026. If she did it, she'd be one of the older WTA players to belatedly do it. She'll turn 32 in November. To date, it would seem that just three woman have first cracked the century mark only after turning 32: Adriana Villagran (32/ARG, 1988), Tzipora Obziler (33/ISR, 2007) and Arina Rodionova (34/AUS, 2024).

Lazaro Garcia has played in just one tour-level MD match in her career, in Strasbourg as a qualifier in 2021 (a loss to Andreescu), but one suspects that drought might just end soon (hmmm, if she can't play her way in, maybe as a wild card in Madrid?). She's lost in qualifying at the last four majors.
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VETERAN: Belinda Bencic/SUI
...Bencic is off to a good start in '26 (12-4), but her run in Miami actually represents what is her one and only QF result of the season (since we're surely not counting that United Cup thing). She's reached just one singles SF (w/ her title in Tokyo in October) since her Wimbledon SF last summer.

The Swiss opened the season with a 5-0 mark in the team event in Australia (it included a win over Swiatek, which surely looked a bit more impressive then than it does at the moment), but she came into Miami having gone just 4-3 since. Bencic had arrived in Florida off a nice Round of 16 in Indian Wells, and proceded to add three more wins vs. Zeynep Sonmez, Diana Shnaider and Amanda Anisimova, the latter her third Top 10 victory of the season.

Bencic very well could have have turned a good tournament into a great one, had she been able to hold her break lead in the 3rd in the QF match-up against Coco Gauff. She led 3-2, and held a pair of GP to consolidate her advantage, only to see Gauff get the break back and then never lose another game in the match.

Bencic reached the semis in Miami in 2022. That result remains her best in *any* 1000 level tournament since 2019 (though she has reached two major SF, another at the WTAF and won Olympic Gold over the time since).
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COMEBACK: Zheng Qinwen/CHN
...Zheng's continued recovery from summer 2025 elbow surgery, which saw her play in just one event (two matches, the last of which ended with her retirement in Beijing in late September) after Wimbledon last season, delayed her '26 debut until Doha in February.

2-2 on the year coming into Miami, Zheng knocked out back-to-back wins over both finalists from the 2017 U.S. Open, Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, with the latter her first Top 20 victory since Roland Garros. She fell in straights to Aryna Sabalenka, her opponent in the AO24 final, in the Round of 16, but Zheng's slow return to form can only add yet another topic of interest to a tour that has seen several other young players (most notably, Victoria Mboko), rise to great heights during the '24 Olympic Gold medalist's brief absence.

Following what was her breakout '24 season, when she won the Olympics and two other titles (along with reaching her maiden slam final, being the WTAF runner-up, and for the first time playing in a 1000 final), Zheng didn't reach a singles final in 2025. The world #4 less than a year ago, Zheng will nearly have slipped out of the Top 30 in the new rankings.


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ITF PLAYERS: Daria Snigur/UKR and Wang Xiyu/CHN
...even before this week, Snigur had been making moves up and down the tennis ladder this season, from a tour-level SF in Cluj to a 125 win in Oeiras and $75K final at the ITF level in Slovakia.

In another $75K challenger, this one in Murska Sobata (SLO), the 24-year old Ukrainian claimed another title, defeating Greet Minnen 6-3/6-2. She'll crack the Top 100 for the first time on Monday.

This year's run has represented a second surge at the pro level for the 2019 Wimbledon junior champ. From 2021-23, she picked up a pair of $100K crowns, reached a tour QF (also in Cluj) and posted a pair of Top 10 wins (Halep and Haddad Maia) before slipping to a season-ending #158 at the end of 2025.

With this week's result, Snigur is 24-5 on the season.

Meanwhile, Wang claimed her second ITF win in two weeks, following up her $35K in Maanshan (CHN) on indoor hard courts with a $50K title run there this weekend, defeating Guo Hanyu 6-2/7-6 to improve to 10-0 on the season. She's lost just one set so far in '26.

The 25-year old, the 2018 U.S. Open junior champ, has reached a pair of tour-level finals (in 2023-24, winning in Guangzhou), but last year fell out of the Top 100 for the first time since 2021. She ranked as high as #49 in early '23, but came into the week at #226 after only making her season debut on March 18. She'll climb back to #179 on Monday.
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JUNIOR STAR: Giulia Safina Popa/ROU
...the 16-year old Romanian picked up her third career J300 crown in Vrsar (CRO), following up a SF win over #2 seed Paola Pinera Celario with a 3-6/6-2/6-1 victory in the final over Czech Veronika Sekerkova.

Last July, Popa made her tour debut in Iasi with a qualifying run and 1st Round appearance (a loss to VJK).


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DOUBLES: Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend, CZE/USA
...Sabalenka wasn't the only "Sunshine Double" winner in Miami, as Siniakova & Townsend backed up their win in Indian Wells with another in Florida, becoming the first duo to pull off the cross-country sweep since 2019 (when Sabalenka and Mertens did it).

With a 7-6(0)/6-1 win in a rain-interrupted (with Siniakova/Townsend holding a 6-5 lead) final over Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini, the Czech puts into place two of her few missing career puzzle pieces. Along with having never completed a "Sunshine Double," Siniakova had not yet won the Miami title (she's won Indian Wells twice). Her only previous Miami Open final had come in 2018 alongside Barbora Krejcikova.



It's Siniakova's 35th career tour title (8th 1000 win), and Townsend's 14th. It's the third 1000 crown shared by the duo, who've also picked up a pair of slams to complete their (so far) five-trophy collection. Siniakova is now breathing down the neck of Mertens in her attempt to reclaim the #1 WD ranking (708 back, w/ the Belgian's Wimbledon title and Madrid/Rome finals points defenses coming soon).



Errani, too, had yet to win a Miami title, and was playing in her first final in the event in fourteen years (a 2012 loss w/ Roberta Vinci to Kirilenko/Petrova in a MTB).

Later on Sunday, Jannik Sinner completed this Miami Open's *third" "Sunshine Double" run by taking the men's singles title.
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WHEELCHAIR: Aniek Van Koot/NED
...a week after losing in three sets in the Cajun Classic final, Van Koot rebounds with a 3-6/6-4/6-4 victory over countrywoman Lizzy de Greef to take the inaugural 500 event in Miami, completing a week that saw the #1 seed also defeat Angelica Bernal and Zhu Zhenzhen.



De Greef reached the final after wins over last week's winner in Baton Rouge, Kgothatso Montjane, and young Pastry Ksenia Chasteau.

De Greef (w/ Chasteau) also lost in the doubles final vs. Bernal & Zhu.
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[Miami 4th Round to Final]




1. Miami SF - Aryna Sabalenka def. Elena Rybakina
...6-4/6-3. Sabalenka claims match-up XVII in the series, completing the sweep of Rybakina on both ends of the Sunshine double and pulling off the AO-IW-Miami final triple for a second straight season (she's the first woman to ever do that, and the only one to do it twice, in consecutive years or otherwise). She's reached the finals at nine of the last twelve editions of the three events combined.

Sabalenka had come into the match having won all 40 sets she'd played against non-Rybakina opponents this season, while being knotted at 3-3 (and at 1-1 in matches) vs. the Kazakh in '26. This win improves Sabalenka's record to 10-7 in the career head-to-head.


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2. Miami Final - Aryna Sabalenka def. Coco Gauff
...6-2/4-6/6-3. Sabalenka (partially) settles the score in the series with Gauff -- which she now leads 7-6, but is 0-2 in slam finals -- by handing Coco her first loss in ten career hard court finals, successfully defending her own '25 Miami title, and completing her first (singles) Sunshine Double in what is her fourth straight straight Sunshine (I.W/Miami) final.

She's played in the final of nine of the last twelve Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami events over the last four seasons.

In the 1st, Sabalenka took a 3-1 lead by keeping Gauff at bay after she'd gotten to 30/30 in her first two service games. Gauff saved three BP to hold for 3-2, but Sabalenka put away the set with a break/serve combo to win 6-2.

After both women saved a BP in the first half of the 2nd set, neither got a break of serve until Gauff -- with Sabalenka serving at 4-5, 30/30 -- got her second (and what would be her last) BP chance. She converted to knot the match, but saw Sabalenka break (after Gauff had led 30/love) to open the 3rd and manage to never venture close enough to the edge to truly let Gauff back into the decider.

With a MP on return at 5-3, Sabalenka saw Gauff fire a shot long... and the Sunshine Double was hers.


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3. Miami QF - Karolina Muchova def. Victoria Mboko
...7-5/7-6(5). Once again, Mboko improved her lot in her *next* opportunity against a top player -- after falling to Muchova in the Doha final, 6-4/7-5 -- but the Czech is proving to be a tough nut to crack for the teenager.

The Canadian can try to be more agressive against the Czech, but she's likely going to have to do even more than usual to get out of her baseline comfort zone to get past an in-form Muchova, which she was on this day with 30+ winners and her usual rally-extending tactics that made Mboko hit multiple shots to win rallies.

Showing her range, on her second MP, Muchova raced to Mboko's drop shot winner attempt and dropped her reply just over the net for a match-closing winner of her own. Classic Muchova.



Until next time.
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4. Miami QF - Coco Gauff def. Belinda Bencic
...6-3/1-6/6-3. Already with her best result in her home Miami event (she was born 47 miles away in Boca Raton) in hand, Gauf rallies in the final stages to push even deeper.

Bencic broke to lead 3-2 in the 3rd, and had two GP a game later for a 4-2 ege. But Gauff got the quick break back, then went on to sweep the final four games on the night.


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5. Miami 4th Rd. - Hailey Baptiste def. Alona Ostapenko
...6-3/6-4. Baptiste adds to her string of Miami upsets (Maria, Samsonova, Svitolina) with one more over Ostapenko to reach her maiden 1000 QF.

After taking then-#3 Rybakina to three sets in Indian Wells, Baptiste went out in the Miami QF in straights to #1 Sabalenka (being on serve, but getting broken in game 10 to end both sets), meaning now three of her seven losses on the year have come vs. Top 3 players (w/ then-#3 Gauff at AO26). She'll still climb to a new career high of #33.


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6. Miami QF - Elena Rybakina def. Jessie Pegula
...2-6/6-3/6-4. Meanwhile, a moment of silence for Pegula. With this loss, she's now 0-3 vs. Rybakina in 2026, and 19-1 against everyone else.

With their meetings coming in a SF (AO) and two QF (both ends of the Sunshine swing), winning a set this time around and losing a TB in straight sets losses in the previous two contests, she'd *like a word* with the head of the Tennis Gods' Draw Division. Well, maybe two words.

The win gave Rybakina her tour-best sixth Top 10 win of the season (breaking a tie at 5 with Mboko, who was later tied by Sabalenka with her win in the final over Gauff).
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7. Dubrovnic 125 Final - Andrea Lazaro Garcia def. Anhelina Kalinina
...3-6/6-4/6-3. Kalinina was playing in her fourth consecutive 125 final, after two weeks ago winning her second of three finals in three weeks in Antalya. Lazaro's win ended her 14-match winning streak.

The Ukrainian, who also won a 125 title in December soon after returning from a six month break, didn't get yet another crown in Croatia, but after ranking #202 in the final February rankings she'll be a #119 in the last Monday rankings in March.

Even with the loss, Kalinina is 18-2 in her last 20 matches, 22-6 in '26, and 27-6 going back to her season-closing title run last year.
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[Miami 4th Round to Final]
1. Miami 4th Rd. - Victoria Mboko def. Mirra Andreeva
...7-6(4)/4-6/6-0. With the tour's top two teenagers *already* having met three times in 2026, the Tennis Gods: Draw Division squard are working overtime on developing this (so far) good-natured and competitive rivalry.

As per usual, Mboko continues to look better with every effort vs. top-ranked opponents. She lost to Andreeva in the Adelaide final, then won via a 3rd set TB in Doha. Here, she was taken to three, but dominated in a love final set to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

This was already Mboko's fifth Top 10 win of the season, which at the time was tied with Elena Rybakina for the tour season lead. Thus far in '26, Andreeva has none, after herself having put up five such wins at this point last year. The Russian has had just one Top 10 win since (and it was over a then-#10 Navarro, so it only barely counted).


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Welp... Fissette is gone (not a surprise, though maybe the axe came down slightly earlier than expected), but "the rest of my team remains unchanged" line was the least surprising (and maybe most telling) words in Swiatek's announcement. Thus, "mental coach" Daria Abramowicz survives a *third* coach's exit, even while Iga admits that her biggest issue has been a mental/psychological one.

One has to wonder who's going to be the coach willing to swallow their pride (and maybe autonomy) for the shot to work with a multi-slam champ, even while seemingly stepping into a lion(ess)'s den where winning a major less than a year into the partnership (on the player's worst surface) still isn't enough to last another nine months or to prevail in a possible stare down with the *most* powerful member of Team Iga.

There's job security, and there's whatever Abramowicz has in this situation.

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And, thus, the pattern continues. The WTA's official "Coach of the Year" winners and their soon-after fates...


2018 Sascha Bajin (Osaka)...fired in 2019
2019 Craig Tyzzer (Barty)...Barty retired in early 2022
2020 Piotr Sierzputowski (Swiatek)...replaced at the start of 2022
2021 Conchita Martinez (Muguruza)...moved on late in 2023; Muguruza ret. 2024
2022 David Witt (Pegula)...fired early in 2024
2023 Tomasz Wiktorowski (Swiatek)...fired late in 2024
2024 Renzo Furlan (Paolini)...split early in 2025
2025 Rick Vleeshouwers (Anisimova)...parted ways early in 2026



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Shout out to Raj, since none of the people in charge of things ever seem to actually read their match notes.

As I noted last week, Sabalenka had the chance to become the first *player* to ever win a Sunshine Double in *both* singles and doubles in a career, which she did with her singles title defense.

Of course, you'd never have known that by following along with the as-it-happened (and-just-happened) social media of the WTA, the Miami Open (not even in the trophy ceremony... two weeks after Sabalenka's name was mispronounced when she was introduced at the Indian Wells post-match ceremony), Tennis Channel or pretty much anyone else with an official hand in the game. Might have been an accomplishment *someone* over there might have wanted to keep up on to, you know, promote the players in the game.

Just a thought.

Meanwhile, a day later, the WTA's social media didn't even acknowledge Siniakova & Townsend's "Sunshine Double" when they picked up the WD crown two weeks after their Indian Wells win.











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*MOST 2020-2026 WTA FINAL MATCH-UPS*
6...Rybakina/Sabalenka - 23,24,25,26 = Rybakina 4-2
5...Sabalenka/Swiatek - 22,23,24 = Swiatek 4-1
4...GAUFF/SABALENKA - 2023,25,26 = tied 2-2
3...Pegula/Sabalenka - 24,25 = Sabalenka 3-0
3...Pegula/Swiatek - 23,25 = Swiatek 2-1

*2020-26 WTA SINGLES TITLES*
25 - 1/2/8/6/5/3/0 = Iga Swiatek
19 - 3/2/0/3/4/4/3 = ARYNA SABALENKA
11 - 1/0/1/2/3/3/1 = Elena Rybakina
10 - 0/1/0/4/3/2/0 = Coco Gauff
9 - 0/0/1/2/2/3/1 = Jessie Pegula
8 - 1/5/2 = Ash Barty (ret.)
8 - 0/3/2/2/1/0/0 = Barbora Krejcikova
6 - 0/1/1/2/0/2/0 = Belinda Bencic
6 - 0/2/2/0/2/0/0 = Dasha Kasatkina
6 - 0/1/1/1/2/1/0 = Alona Ostapenko
6 - 2/1/0/1/0/1/1 = Elina Svitolina

*MOST 2026 WTA TITLES w/o LOSING A SET*
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (Brisbane/Miami)
1 - Mirra Andreeva (Adelaide)
1 - Sorana Cirstea (Cluj-Napoca)

*MOST TITLES WON W/O DROPPING A SET - 2020s*
11 - Iga Swiatek, POL
6 - ARYNA SABALENKA, BLR (2 in 2026)
3 - Coco Gauff, USA
3 - Sorana Cirstea, ROU (1)
2 - Ash Barty, AUS
2 - Madison Keys, USA
2 - Anett Kontaveit, EST
2 - Bernarda Pera, USA
2 - Liudmila Samsonova, RUS

*MOST TOP 10 WINS IN 2026*
6 - Rybakina
5 - Mboko, Sabalenka
4 - Pegula, Svitolina
3 - Bencic, Kostyuk, Muchova
2 - Eala, Ostapenko, Sakkari

*MOST WTA FINALS - 2020-26*
35 - 3/3/3/6/7/9/4 = SABALENKA (19-16)
29 - 1/2/9/8/5/4/0 = Swiatek (25-4)
22 - 5/0/3/4/5/3/2 = Rybakina (11-11)
19 - 1/0/2/5/4/6/1 = Pegula (9-10)
14 - 0/4/2/2/6/0/0 = Kasatkina (6-8)
14 - 0/1/1/4/3/4/1 = GAUFF (10-4)
[2026]
4 - ARYNA SABALENKA (3-1)
2 - Elena Rybakina (1-1)
2 - Elina Svitolina (1-1)
2 - Victoria Mboko (0-2)

*MOST WTA SF in 2026*
4 - ARYNA SABALENKA (4-0)
4 - Elina Svitolina (2-2)
3 - ELENA RYBAKINA (2-1)
3 - KAROLINA MUCHOVA (1-2)
3 - Jessie Pegula (1-2)
2 - Victoria Mboko (2-0)
2 - COCO GAUFF (1-1)
2 - Iva Jovic (1-1)
2 - Kimberly Birrell (0-2)

*CAREER WTA TITLES ON HARD COURT*
31 - Venus Williams
24 - Caroline Wozniacki
20 - Victoria Azarenka
21 - ARYNA SABALENKA (3 in 2026)
14 - Iga Swiatek
12 - Elina Svitolina (1)
11 - Karolina Pliskova
9 - Coco Gauff
9 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
9 - Vera Zvonareva
[2020-26]
16 - ARYNA SABALENKA (3/1/0/2/4/3/3)
13 - Iga Swiatek (0/1/5/3/2/2/0)
8 - Coco Gauff (0/0/0/4/3/1/0)
7 - Elena Rybakina (1/0/0/1/2/2/1)
6 - Ash Barty (1/3/2 ret)
6 - Jessie Pegula (0/0/1/2/1/1/1)

*RECENT WTA #1 vs. #2 MATCH-UPS*
2014 Brisbane Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Azarenka
2014 Miami Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Li
2015 Australian Open Final - #1 S.Williams d. #2 Sharapova
2018 Australian Open Final - #2 Wozniacki d. #1 Halep
2019 WTA Finals SF - #1 Barty d. #2 Ka.Pliskova
2023 Stuttgart Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2023 Madrid Final - #2 Sabalenka d. #1 Swiatek
2023 WTA Finals SF - #2 Swiatek d. #1 Sabalenka
2024 Madrid Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2024 Rome Final - #1 Swiatek d. #2 Sabalenka
2025 Roland Garros Final - #2 Gauff d. #1 Sabalenka
2026 Miami SF - #1 Sabalena d. #2 Rybakina

*MIAMI FACTS 1985-present*
=SINGLES=
[recent finals]
2018 Sloane Stephens def. Alona Ostapenko
2019 Ash Barty def. Karolina Pliskova
2020 DNP
2021 Ash Barty def. Bianca Andreescu
2022 Iga Swiatek def. Naomi Osaka
2023 Petra Kvitova def. Elena Rybakina
2024 Danielle Collins d. Elena Rybakina
2025 Aryna Sabalenka d. Jessie Pegula
2026 Aryna Sabalenka d. Coco Gauff
[Most Singles Titles]
8 - Serena Williams, USA
5 - Steffi Graf, GER
3 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2 - Ash Barty, AUS
2 - Kim Clijsters, BEL
2 - Martina Hingis, SUI
2 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
2 - Monica Seles, YUG
2 - Venus Williams, USA
[Consecutive Titles]
3 - Steffi Graf (1994-96)
3 - Serena Williams (2002-04)
3 - Serena Williams (2013-15)
2 - Steffi Graf (1987-88)
2 - Monica Seles (1990-91)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1992-93)
2 - Venus Williams (1998-99)
2 - Serena Williams (2007-08)
2 - Ash Barty (2019/21)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (2025-26)
[Most Finals]
10 - Serena Williams (8-2)
7 - Steffi Graf (5-2)
5 - Chris Evert (1-4)
5 - Maria Sharapova (0-5)
4 - Venus Williams (3-1)
3 - Victoria Azarenka (3-0)
3 - Aryna Sabalenka (2-1)
3 - Monica Seles (2-1)
3 - Gabriela Sabatini (1-2)
3 - Jennifer Capriati (0-3)
2 - Ash Barty (2-0)
2 - Kim Clijsters (2-0)
2 - Martina Hingis (2-0)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (2-0)
2 - Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
2 - Elena Rybakina (0-2)
[Consecutive Finals]
5 - Chris Evert (1985-89)
4 - Steffi Graf (1993-96)
3 - Steffi Graf (1986-88)
3 - Jennifer Capriati (2001-03)
3 - Serena Williams (2002-04)
3 - Serena Williams (2007-09)
3 - Maria Sharapova (2011-13)
3 - Serena Williams (2013-15)
2 - Monica Seles (1990-91)
2 - Gabriela Sabatini (1991-92)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1992-93)
2 - Venus Williams (1998-99)
2 - Maria Sharapova (2005-06)
2 - Ash Barty (2019/21)
2 - Elena Rybakina (2023-24)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (2025-26)
[Consecutive Match Wins]
21 - Steffi Graf (1994-96,99)
21 - Serena Willians (2002-05)
20 - Serena Williams (2013-16)
[1 Unseeded Champion]
2005 Kim Clijsters
2024 Danielle Collins
[Low-Ranked Champion]
#53 - Danielle Collins (2024)
[Youngest Singles Champion]
16y,111d - Monica Seles (1990)
[Oldest Singles Champion]
33y,190d - Serena Williams (2015)
33y,25d - Petra Kvitova (2023)
[Oldest Singles Finalist]
34 - Chris Evert (1989)
33 - Chris Evert (1988)
33 - Serena Williams (2015) - W
33 - Petra Kvitova (2023) - W
[6 Finalists Have Not a Reached Slam Final]
1990 Judith Weisner
1995 Kimiko Date
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Anna Kournikova
2015 Carla Suarez Navarro
2017 Johanna Konta (W)
[10 Finalists Have Never Won a Slam]
1990 Judith Weisner
1994 Natasha Zvereva
1995 Kimiko Date
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Anna Kournikova
2008 Jelena Jankovic
2012 Aga Radwanska (W)
2015 Carla Suarez Navarro
2017 Johanna Konta (W)
2024 Danielle Collins (W)
2025 Jessie Pegula
=DOUBLES=
[recent champions]
2018 Ash Barty/CoCo Vandeweghe
2019 Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka
2020 DNP
2021 Shuko Aoyma/Ena Shibahara
2022 Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva
2023 Coco Gauff/Jessie Pegula
2024 Sofia Kenin/Bethanie Mattek-Sands
2025 Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider
2026 Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend
[Most Titles]
7 - Jana Novotna, CZE
5 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
4 - Martina Hingis, SUI
3 - Nadia Petrova, RUS
3 - Lisa Raymond, USA
3 - Helena Sukova, CZE
2 - Gigi Fernandez, USA
2 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2 - Martina Navratilova, USA
2 - Larisa Savchenko Neiland, LAT
2 - Pam Shriver, USA
2 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
2 - Samantha Stosur, AUS
2 - Ai Sugiyama, JPN
2 - Natasha Zvereva, BLR
[Most Titles - duos]
2 - Hingis/Novotna, SUI/CZE
2 - Novotna/Sanchez Vicario, CZE/ESP
2 - Novotna/Sukova, CZE/CZE
2 - Raymond/Stosur, USA/AUS
[Consecutive Titles]
1986-87 Pam Shriver, USA
1989-90 Novotna/Sukova, CZE/CZE
1992-93 Larisa Savchenko Neiland, LAT
1995-96 Novotna/Sanchez Vicario, CZE/ESP
1996-97 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1998-99 Hingis/Novotna, SUI/CZE
2006-07 Raymond/Stosur, USA/AUS
2012-13 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2014-15 Martina Hingis, SUI

*"SUNSHINE DOUBLE" (IW/MIA) WINNERS*
[WS]
1994 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
2005 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2016 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL
2026 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
[WD]
1997 Natasha Zvereva, BLR
1999 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002 Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs, USA/AUS
2006 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2007 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2015 Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2019 Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
2026 Katerina Siniakova/Taylor Townsend, CZE/USA
[won WS/WD "Sunshine Doubles" in career]
Aryna Sabalenka (2026 singles, 2019 doubles)
--
NOTE: Jana Novotna/Helena Sukova won both IW/Mia as non-consecutive events in 1990

*REACHED AO-IW-MIA FINALS IN SEASON*
1991 Monica Seles (W-L-W)
1994 Steffi Graf (W-W-W) - only to sweep all 3
2000 Lindsay Davenport (W-W-L)
2000 Martina Hingis (L-L-W)
2012 Maria Sharapova (L-L-L)
2023 Elena Rybakina (L-W-L)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka (L-L-W)
2026 Aryna Sabalenka (L-W-W)
[reached IW/MIA finals in season]
1991 Monica Seles (L-W)
1994 Steffi Graf (W-W) #
1996 Steffi Graf (W-W) #
1999 Serena Williams (W-L)
2000 Lindsay Davenport (W-L)
2000 Martina Hingis (L-W)
2005 Kim Clijsters (W-W) #
2006 Maria Sharapova (W-L)
2012 Maria Sharapova (L-L)
2013 Maria Sharapova (W-L)
2016 Victoria Azarenka (W-W) #
2022 Iga Swiatek (W-W) #
2023 Elena Rybakina (W-L)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka (L-W)
2026 Aryna Sabalenka (W-W) #
-
# - "Sunshine Double"

*2026 WTA DOUBLES TITLES*
3 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA
3 - TAYLOR TOWNSEND
2 - Zhang Shuai
[duos]
2...Siniakova/Townsend
[2020-26 - individuals]
28 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA (1/6/6/3/5/4/3)
15 - Barbora Krejcikova (1/5/3/4/1/1/0)
15 - Elise Mertens (1/4/2/2/3/2/1)
14 - TAYLOR TOWNSEND (1/0/0/3/3/4/3)
13 - Luisa Stefani (1/1/2/3/1/4/1)
12 - Gaby Dabrowski (0/1/3/2/2/3/1)
12 - Anna Danilina (0/1/2/1/5/2/1)
12 - Hsieh Su-wei (4/2/0/2/3/0/1)
12 - Nicole Melichar-Martinez (2/2/2/0/3/3/0)
12 - Erin Routliffe (0/1/1/3/3/4/0)
11 - Demi Schuurs (2/2/1/2/2/2/0)
11 - Laura Siegemund (1/0/3/5/1/1/0)

*CAREER WTA DOUBLES TITLES - active*
36 - Sara Errani
36 - Hsieh Su-Wei
35 - KATERINA SINIAKOVA
30 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands
30 - Kristina Mladenovic
29 - Timea Babos
24 - Elise Mertens
22 - Venus Williams

*SINIAKOVA - 35 WTA TITLES (# w/ partners)*
18 - Barbora Krejcikova
5 - TAYLOR TOWNSEND
3 - Storm Hunter
2 - Aleksandra Krunic
2 - Zhang Shuai
1 - Belinda Bencic
1 - Coco Gauff
1 - Kristina Mladenovic
1 - Alona Ostapenko
1 - Bernarda Pera





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Next stop, the midterms anntelnaes.substack.com/p/next-stop-...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 4:02 PM


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A Penguin Books vending machine, with a selection of books I wouldn’t have expected to see at a train station

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— KDS 📖 🎲 🎮 (@kdsbooks.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 8:16 AM

Seen at the Tweed airport in New Haven Connecticut

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— Frank in Fla (@frankinfla.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:56 AM


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All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:30 PM  0 comments

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Wk.11- Striving to Thrive in the 305







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*WEEK 11*

[Miami Qualifying through 3rd Round]



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RISER: Hailey Baptiste/USA
...while a number of young Bannerettes have struggled so far to find their footing in '26 after seeing big improvement a season ago, Baptiste has not been one. Instead, she's continued the push that last year saw her start '25 ranked in the #90s and steadily climb over the course of the season, briefly spending time in the Top 50 before finishing the campaign at #61 after posting her best career results at three different majors, including her maiden slam Round of 16 in Paris.

In the new season, she's reached her first AO 3rd Round and was a first-time tour semifinalist (at Abu Dhabi), leading to her cracking the Top 40 in February.

The first week in Miami has seen similar results come about, as after owning a winless 0-4 mark in the event from 2021-24, Baptiste's early wins over Tatjana Maria and Liudmila Samsonova assured her of matching her tournament-best 3rd Round result from a year ago, then on Sunday she upset Elina Svitolina to reach her maiden 1000 Round of 16, recording her second career Top 10 victory with a win over the world #8.


===============================================
SURPRISE: Anastasia Zakharova/RUS
...already arriving in Miami at a career-best #74 after having gotten a 1st Round win in Indian Wells, Zakharova's qualifying run (completed w/ a win over Rebecca Sramkova) turned into the Hordette's best-ever 1000 result, a 3rd Round finish that matched her top slam finish in Melbourne two years ago.

Zakharova posted MD victories over Anna Bondar and Anna Kalinskaya, rallying from 5-2 down in the 3rd and saving a MP against her countrywoman as she claimed her second career Top 30 win (after def. Vekic last summer at Queen's Club).



Although Zakharova fell in straights in the 3rd Round to Victoria Mboko, she'll be set to crack the Top 70 in the post-Miami rankings.
===============================================



VETERAN: Sorana Cirstea/ROU
...less than a month from her 36th birthday, and in what she says in her final season, Cirstea's Top 20 ranking quest continues with a second week run that has pushed her season mark to 17-4.

After posting a pair of 1000 3rd Round results in Dubai and Indian Wells following her title at Cluj-Napoca, the Romanian spent the opening week in Miami notching three more wins, the first over Zhang Shuai and then back-to-back Top 20 victories vs. Linda Noskova and Elise Mertens.

Alive in the 4th Round, Cirstea goes into the second week at a "live" #29, just under 500 rankings points from becoming the oldest player to debut in the Top 20 in tour history.
===============================================



FRESH FACE: Talia Gibson/AUS
...has any player broken through this Sunshine Swing more spectacularly than Gibson? Answer: nope.

On the heels of a career-best 1000 QF run at Indian Wells, which featured consecutive Top 20 upsets of Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini (career Top 10 win #1), Gibson flew all the way across the U.S. to Miami to play qualifying with her new career-high ranking of #68 in hand (after having been outside the Top 100 just two weeks earlier).

Wins over Ekaterine Gorgodze and Kamilla Rakhimova got Gibson into another big draw, and once again she's thriving. She allowed just *one game* to Abu Dhabi champ Bejlek, then handled former slam winner Naomi Osaka *and* Iva Jovic in straight sets for her fourth and fifth Sunshine Top 20 wins. Heading into the second week in the 305, Gibson is riding a 21-3 wave of success since the Australian Open and is at a "live" #56.


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



DOWN: Iga Swiatek/POL
...so, is "the purge" imminent?

Frankly, it doesn't seem so, but one has to wonder when Swiatek will finally play the tried-and-true tennis trump card and (figuratively) lay the blame for any lack of success on the court at the feet of her employeed team of professionals whose #1 collective job is to do whatever it takes to *not* give their player any reason to ever want/need to "clear the deck."

Instead, after a 2nd Round loss in Miami to countrywoman Magda Linette (after having won a 6-1 1st set, and taking their only other meeting 6-1/6-1) Swiatek finds herself at something of a crossroads as the 2026 1st Quarter comes to a close. The surprise defeat ended her long streak of opening wins in tour events which went back to 2021, and sullied an even longer stretch that had only included *one* other one-and-done result going back to her maiden RG title run in 2020, a span which included 81 knock-out tournaments (the only kind at which there is any *real* significance to first-match victories, since a loss there means *it's over* and you're soon on a plane out of town).

Last grass season, coach Wim Fissette (stunningly) managed to get the stubborn Swiatek to try new things in matches when her original plan didn't work, and it resulted in (finally) her best grass campaign ever, a shocking title at Wimbledon and a summer confidence carry-over that got her another win in Cincinnati, ending what had been a full year with zero final appearances and a series of sometimes-stunning defeats in situations and places where the Pole formerly thrived. But that inspired stretch was a short-term bump, and the "chaos" (Swiatek's words) that overtakes her mind in matches has since returned. Maybe worse yet, she seems to have given such a bad state of being the oxygen it needs to mushroom inside her own mind, resulting in Swiatek often facing *two* opponents on gameday, one across the net and the other on her own side of the court.

The situation seems to sometimes paralyze her.

Whether it's something that can be "coached" out of Swiatek remains to be seen, while whatever role "mental coach" Daria Abramowicz has in any sort of solution remains even murkier, considering her oft-eyebrow raising outsized role on the team and seeming lack of professional repercussions for any lack of success on the court, unlike Swiatek's tactical coaches, a group which has included the since fired Piotr Sierzputowski and Tomasz Wiktorowski in recent years before the arrival of Fissette, who by the end of '26 might become the third of the lot that Abramowicz has managed to outlast even while Swiatek's "mental/emotional game" has often seemed to be a core problem over the last two years.

It's also worth noting that the nearly two-year dip in Swiatek's results have come after she tested postive for a banned substance in late 2024, yet skated (not quite Sinner-like, but close) without having to fight the Alphabets for ages (and for her reputation, if not career) like so many others in similar cases in which they ultimately were declared to have bore "No Significant Fault or Negligence" in the final ruling, as was the case with Swiatek. While there's no reason to think, as opposed to the takes of some social media trolls, that Swiatek "was found out" and her downturn is the natural result of that, it *is* legitimate to wonder if the public embarrassment of the whole situation might have played a part in Swiatek's later (seemingly growing) sensitivity to the pressures of the game, considering her clear desire to operate more "in the shadows" than some of the, say, more extroverted players (we see you, Aryna) on tour.

One used to rightfully hold a belief that the clay season would guide Swiatek out of any "slump" she might find herself in, but much of the overturn in her results has come since her aura-tarnishing *Bronze* medal winning run in the Paris Olympics on the terre battue at Roland Garros. What would have been a great result for any other player was anything but for the player whose RG dominance through 2024 practically ceded the Gold to her before the start of the tournament, and the fact is "the best clay court player of her generation" has not only not won a clay title since that stumble, but she's not even reached a clay final.

Worse yet, even the "average" opponent is no longer scared to face her, and none "accept" impending defeat before the match even begins. That wasn't the case not that long ago.

A great front runner throughout her career (though even that has slipped of late, as no longer do easy, sometimes-annihilating early-round wins nor even blow-out opening sets guarantee another Swiatek "W" is right around the corner), the last two years have shown Swiatek to be a totally different player (esp. emotionally) from the one who was at one time a legitimately dominant #1 figure in the sport.

Save for her three-month resurgence last summer, when she reached four finals in six events (winning Wimbledon, Cincinnati and Seoul), the other 18/19 (or so) months since her '24 win at RG have seen her reach *zero* finals across 21 tournaments.

At the moment, Swiatek is sounding anything like a player of her (still, as the world #3 and reigning champ at SW19) great standing, as she seems to be lost when it comes to exactly where she's headed. The next few months could be very telling.


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



ITF PLAYERS: Tatiana Prozorova/RUS and Julieta Pareja/USA
...in Maribor (SLO), Prozorova arrived on the scene as the "stopper," aka the player who finally put an end to Hanne Vandewinkel's sterling winning streak, which had grown to Mboko-like length heading into Sunday's final.

Vandewinkel, 21, came into the title-deciding contest on a 19-match win streak that had propelled her to her first "live" Top 100 ranking, but 22-year hold Hordette Prozorova completed a great week of her own with a 6-3/6-3 victory to pick up the win in what was her second $75K final of the season. In the other, in Pune last month, it was Vandewinkel (naturally) who'd played the role of spoiler in what was the first of her three consecutive ITF titles.

Prozorova dropped just one set on the week, in her opening match against Gabriela Knutson, before running off straight sets victories over Matilde Jorge, Jeline Vandromme, Jessika Ponchet and Vandewinkel.



In Chihuahua (MEX), 17-year old Pareja grabbed her first pro title since winning a $15K in 2024. The Bannerette, a '25 Wimbledon girls' finalist in both s/d and a tour-level Bogota semifinalist in her WTA debut event last year, didn't surrender a set on the way to the title, taking out the likes of Despina Papamichail and Jazmin Ortenzi before a 6-3/7-6 win over 20-year old Canadian Kayla Cross in the final.

With her win, Pareja jumps 59 spots in the "live" rankings to a new career high of #264. She's the second highest-ranked (behind only Emerson Jones) of the four under-18 aged players in the Top 300.


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



JUNIOR STARS: Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva/BRA and Mariella Thamm/GER
...well, Leme da Silva was at it again, picking up the J500 Banana Bowl title in Gaspar, Brazil, via a three-set final victory over fellow Brazilian Victoria Luiza Barros, 16.

The 15-year old Leme da Silva hadn't dropped a set en route to the final, carrying over her momentum from back-to-back J300 wins in Porto Alegre and at the South American Regional Championships in Santa Cruz. She's now on a 21-match winning streak at the junior level that dates back to her play in the Junior BJK Cup last November.

Over that same stretch, she's also reached a pair of $15K pro finals (in October/November, winning one) and made her debut for Brazil in the women's BJK Cup (Nov.). In September, she made her tour-level debut in Sao Paulo and became the first player born in 2010 to notch a MD WTA victory. She'd played doubles in that same event alongside Barros.

Meanwhile, 16-year old Thamm (jr. #22) added to her recent hot run with a J300 title in Villena, Spain.

Thamm's 6-3/6-4 win over Spaniard Paola Pinera Celorio improved the German's mark to 19-1 in her last four events, a stretch during which she's also reached a trio of J200 finals (winning two). This is her second career J300 win, along with a title run in the Coffee Bowl in San Jose, Costa Rica in January 2025.

Thamm also notched a pair of pro singles crowns in two $15K challengers last season.


===============================================
WHEELCHAIR: Kgothatso Montjane/RSA
...a week after we saw an all-NextGen final between the two youngest players in the WC Top 10 (Lizzy de Greef def. Ksenia Chasteau), the Cajun Classic 1000 event in Baton Rouge pitted two of the three oldest current Top 10 members in an all-veteran title match.

There, 35-year old Aniek Van Koot claimed the 1st set at 7-5 from the 39-year old Montjane, then led the South African 4-2 in a 2nd set TB. But Montjane swept the final five points to force a 3rd, where she led 5-1 and served for what would be her biggest singles title since 2018.

An eight-time slam singles semifinalist and historic finalist at Wimbledon in 2021, much of Montjane's greatest success has come in doubles, where she's picked up four major titles. Between 2019-25, her biggest singles wins came in four (then-) Series 2 events.

On Sunday, Montjane was broken at love when serving for the title, then saw Van Koot hold at love to close within 5-3. Serving for the match again, Montjane got to within two points of the win at 30/30, but soon after DF'd on BP and saw her break lead evaporate with the score then at 5-4. But after all that to get back into the match, Van Koot couldn't keep it up. Her own DF put her down love/40 in the next game, and on the first MP of a triple MP situation it was Montjane who fired off the lefty forehand winner that gave her one of her biggest career singles wins.

Oh, and the *other* of the three oldest women in the WC Top 10? That'd be 36-year old Zhu Zhenzhen. She was in Baton Rouge, as well, and rolled off with the doubles title alongside Momoko Ohtani, defeating Van Koot and Lucy Shuker in the final.
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[Miami Qualifying through 3rd Round]




1. Miami 2nd Rd. - Magda Linette def. Iga Swiatek
...1-6/7-5/6-3. Two Poles were better than one, as Linette (teamed with coach Aga Radwanska) staged a rally after losing a 6-1 1st (her third straight 6-1 set lost to her countrywoman, after a 6-1/6-1 loss in Beijing in 2023) to hand Swiatek the latest in her growing list of eye-opening losses against players she'd previously had little difficulty with between the lines (though, granted, their only other meeting came two and a half years ago).



In this case, Swiatek never broke Linette's serve in either of the final two sets, ending her string of 68 straight opening wins in knock-out events (I suppose one *could* say her "streak" was 73 in all events but, really, why *would* one do that since in WTAF and team events there are no lose-and-go-home stakes when it come to opening matches?) that goes back to 2021. Her one-and-done loss in Cincinnati in 2021 (vs. Ons Jabeur) had been her only winless *regular* singles event of the run of 81 tournaments that started with her breakout title at Roland Garros in 2020.

Linette's momentum didn't last, as she fell in her next match to Alex Eala, 6-3/7-6.
============================================
2. Miami 1st Rd. - Camila Osorio def. Katerina Siniakova
...6-1/6-4. Siniakova has had an odd few weeks. A Round of 16 singles run in Indian Wells, with an upset of defending champ Mirra Andreeva (who had an emotional exit), ended in tears with a retirement. But she rebounded to win the doubles titles.

Miami is already off to an odd start, as so soon after she was on the opposite site of Andreeva's exit, Siniakova had her own viral moment.

She lost in the 1st Round in straight sets to Camila Osorio in front of a pro-Colombian crowd, breaking to lead 4-2 in the 2nd after an MTO, but then dropping 13 of 14 points. After slipping and briefly going down on MP, the Czech did a drive-by handshake with a bewildered Osorio (who'd crossed sides to meet her), then quickly grabbed her things and raced off the court with tears in her eyes (so she was likely just trying to get away before becoming more emotional, and it wasn't personal w/ her opponent).

Well, she *does* still have the doubles.

Two views of the end (the second w/ the walk-off, and some Martina Navratilova commentary)...



To quote Li Na, "Welcome to the crazy women's tennis tour." You never know what you're gonna get.
============================================



3. Miami 1st Rd. - Elsa Jacquemot def. Dasha Vidmanova
...6-7(5)/7-5/7-5. Jacquemot took early leads in all three sets (3-1 in both the 1st and 2nd, and 4-2 in the 3rd), and managed to eke out wins in the final two sets to advance.

Vidmanova won four straight games in the 1st to lead 5-3, but the Pastry surged back to force a TB, which the Czech claimed 7-5. Jacquemot's 3-1 edge in the 2nd dissolved to a 5-5 tie when she couldn't serve out the set, but a break/hold combo finally allowed her to take it.

In the decider, Vidmanova again ran off a game-winning streak (three straight) to lead 5-4, only to see Jacquemot break at love and then hold on her second MP to end the 3:15 affair.
============================================
4. Miami Q1 - Kamilla Rakhimova def. Leolia Jeanjean
...6-7(1)/7-5/6-0. Rakhimova wasn't able to qualify for the Miami draw (losing to Talia Gibson in the Q2), but advanced far enough to earn a lucky loser spot since she managed to escape Jeanjean in her opening match.

Jeanjean had led 7-6/5-2, and served for the win at 5-3. Rakhimova swept the final five games of the 2nd, saving a BP in game 12 and holding to level the match on her sixth SP of the game. She went on to win the 3rd at love.

The Uzbeki won a 1st Round match over Solana Sierra, but fell a round later to Marta Kostyuk.
============================================
5. Miami 1st Rd. - Lilli Tagger def. Ella Seidel
...6-7(8)/6-4/7-5. Tagger received wild cards into the MD of both ends of the Sunshine Swing, playing 1st Round matches for the first times in her career at 1000 events. In Indian Wells, the 17-year old Austrian got a win over Varvara Gracheva, and in Miami she did the same vs. Ella Seidel.

It took some work against the German, though. Tagger couldn't convert a SP in the 1st set TB as Seidel won it 10-8, but it was the teenager who rallied in the 3rd, staging a comeback from 4-2 down and saving a MP on serve at 5-4. After getting the hold, Tagger completed a break/hold combo in the final two games to get the win.
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6. Miami 3rd Rd. - Jaqueline Cristian def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...6-3/4-6/7-6(5). Alexandrova has slipped out of the Top 10 in the opening months of '26 and remains under .500 for the year. She had Cristian where she seemingly wanted her here, leading 4-2 in the 3rd. The Romanian broke to level things at 4-4 on her fourth BP of game 8, but Alexandrova regained her edge and served for the match at 6-5. Uh-uh.

Cristian went on to take the tie-break to reach her first 1000 Round of 16.


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7. Miami 3rd Rd. - Alona Ostapenko def. Jasmine Paolini
...5-7/6-2/7-5. Ostapenko led Paolini 4-0 in the 3rd, but still had to fight her way to the finish line when the Italian knotted things up at 5-5.

A break and hold combo finally got the win for the Latvian, who posted just her second Top 10 victory (w/ one over Alexandrova in Doha) since she took out *both* Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka during her stellar title run in Stuttgart last April.


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8. Miami Q1 - Viktorija Golubic def. Thea Frodin
...2-6/6-3/6-2. 17-year old Frodin, a junior semifinalist at AO26 (and girls' doubles finalist at Wimbledon '25), takes the #2 Q-seed to the limit in the Bannerette's tour qualifying debut.

Frodin portrayed a young Serena Williams in "King Richard," and has an oh-so-WTA family background. Her Dad is Swedish, her mother French. She grew up in Gabon, and has dual U.S./Swedish citizenship (hmmm... something to remember?). I saw her referred to somewhere as "African Viking Goddess," which is surely a unique moniker.

Frodin reached her first pro singles final last month with a title match appearance in a $35K challenger in Arcadia, California.


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9. Miami 1st Rd. - Dayana Yastremska def. Ashlyn Krueger
...2-6/6-4/7-5. Krueger had turned around her woeful '26 start over her last two events, rebounding from her 1-5 open to the season (after a 1-6 close in '25) with a 5-2 spurt in Austin and Indian Wells.

The Bannerette had a shot at another 1000 MD win here, holding three MP vs. Yastremska at 5-4 in the 3rd before letting the "W" slip through her fingers.
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10. Miami 2nd Rd. - Anastasia Zakharova def. Anna Kalinskaya
...3-6/6-1/7-5. Zakharova's career-best 1000 run was achieved with a massive final set comeback vs. countrywoman Kalinskaya, who led 4-1, held a MP at 5-2, and served for the win at 5-3.


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11. North American Regional Championship (San Diego J300) Final - Jordyn Hazelitt def. Avery Alexander
...6-1/6-2. Hazelitt, 15, takes her biggest career junior crown in San Diego, sweeping the s/d titles at the North American Regional Championship (in her second career J300 singles final, with the other coming in January in Barranquilla) with a 6-1/6-2 win over Canadian Alexander (who'd gone three hours in both her QF and SF wins).


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12. $75K Kofu JPN Final - Sofia Costoulas def. Ma Yexin
...7-5/6-3. Another young Belgian, 20-year old Costoulas (the AO22 junior runner-up) grabs her second career $75K crown. She jumps nearly 20 spots in the "live" rankings to what would be a new career high around #132.

In January, Costoulas qualified in Auckland to make her WTA tour MD debut, then played her way into the QF. It was part of a four-QF run over her first five tournaments of '26 (across the WTA, 125 and ITF levels). With her result this week, she's 15-7 on the year.


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[Miami Qualifying through 3rd Round]




1. Miami 1st Rd. - Francesca Jones def. Venus Williams
...7-5/7-5. Williams continues to make appearances, brighten lives and provide memorable moments to fans and opponents. But she's now lost nine straight. She's posted just one win in singles since a 1st Round victory in Cincinnati... in *2023*. That lone win came last summer vs. Peyton Stearns in Washington.

In this case, it was Jones who notched her first career 1000 MD victory, doing so against one of the inspirations (along w/ Serena) that she says made her career possible.



Jones came into Miami on a four-match losing streak. She ultimately retired from her 2nd Round match vs. Jessie Pegula due to illness. It's the Brit's fourth retirement in her last six events (all but one coming in the '26 season).
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2. Miami 1st Rd. - Emerson Jones def. Linda Fruhvirtova
...3-6/7-6(3)/7-6(4). 17-year old Jones gets the win to become the youngest Aussie to win a 1000 MD match since Jelena Dokic twenty-seven years ago.

Fruhvirtova led 6-3/4-2 before Jones knotted the 2nd set at 5-5, then saved four BP to hold for a 6-5 edge before winning a 7-3 tie-break to force a decider. In the 3rd it was Jones who had the early lead (4-1), holding a MP at 5-4. The Czech forced another TB, and led it 4-2 before the Aussie ripped off the last five points to squeeze out the victory.


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Defending champion Pegula leads field in Charleston womenwhoserve.blogspot.com/2026/03/defe... #WTA #CharlestonOpen

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— Diane Elayne Dees (@womenwhoserve.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 2:20 PM


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The documentary from the two French brothers, who were in NYC that day shooting a film about people in the NYC Fire Department, remains the most remarkable as-it-happened piece of work that I've ever seen. I still think it's worth a watch every few years just to be forced to remember how things played out that awful day.

The 25th anniversary is later this year.















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Most significant point of the 1st Quarter of 2026?




Meanwhile (I can see it)...















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*MIAMI FACTS, 1985-present*
=SINGLES=
[recent finals]
2018 Sloane Stephens def. Alona Ostapenko
2019 Ash Barty def. Karolina Pliskova
2020 DNP
2021 Ash Barty def. Bianca Andreescu
2022 Iga Swiatek def. Naomi Osaka
2023 Petra Kvitova def. Elena Rybakina
2024 Danielle Collins d. Elena Rybakina
2025 Aryna Sabalenka d. Jessie Pegula
[Most Singles Titles]
8 - Serena Williams, USA
5 - Steffi Graf, GER
3 - Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2 - Ash Barty, AUS
2 - Kim Clijsters, BEL
2 - Martina Hingis, SUI
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
2 - Monica Seles, YUG
2 - Venus Williams, USA
[Consecutive Titles]
3 - Steffi Graf (1994-96)
3 - Serena Williams (2002-04)
3 - Serena Williams (2013-15)
2 - Steffi Graf (1987-88)
2 - Monica Seles (1990-91)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1992-93)
2 - Venus Williams (1998-99)
2 - Serena Williams (2007-08)
2 - Ash Barty (2019/21)
[Most Finals]
10 - Serena Williams (8-2)
7 - Steffi Graf (5-2)
5 - Chris Evert (1-4)
5 - Maria Sharapova (0-5)
4 - Venus Williams (3-1)
3 - Victoria Azarenka (3-0)
3 - Monica Seles (2-1)
3 - Gabriela Sabatini (1-2)
3 - Jennifer Capriati (0-3)
2 - Ash Barty (2-0)
2 - Kim Clijsters (2-0)
2 - Martina Hingis (2-0)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (2-0)
2 - Svetlana Kuznetsova (1-1)
2 - Aryna Sabalenka (1-1)
2 - Elena Rybakina (0-2)
[Consecutive Finals]
5 - Chris Evert (1985-89)
4 - Steffi Graf (1993-96)
3 - Steffi Graf (1986-88)
3 - Jennifer Capriati (2001-03)
3 - Serena Williams (2002-04)
3 - Serena Williams (2007-09)
3 - Maria Sharapova (2011-13)
3 - Serena Williams (2013-15)
2 - Monica Seles (1990-91)
2 - Gabriela Sabatini (1991-92)
2 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1992-93)
2 - Venus Williams (1998-99)
2 - Maria Sharapova (2005-06)
2 - Ash Barty (2019/21)
2 - Elena Rybakina (2023-24)
[Consecutive Match Wins]
21 - Steffi Graf (1994-96,99)
21 - Serena Willians (2002-05)
20 - Serena Williams (2013-16)
[1 Unseeded Champion]
2005 Kim Clijsters
2024 Danielle Collins
[Low-Ranked Champion]
#53 - Danielle Collins (2024)
[Youngest Singles Champion]
16y,111d - Monica Seles (1990)
[Oldest Singles Champion]
33y,190d - Serena Williams (2015)
33y,25d - Petra Kvitova (2023)
[Oldest Singles Finalist]
34 - Chris Evert (1989)
33 - Chris Evert (1988)
33 - Serena Williams (2015) - W
33 - Petra Kvitova (2023) - W
[6 Finalists Have Not a Reached Slam Final]
1990 Judith Weisner
1995 Kimiko Date
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Anna Kournikova
2015 Carla Suarez Navarro
2017 Johanna Konta (W)
[10 Finalists Have Never Won a Slam]
1990 Judith Weisner
1994 Natasha Zvereva
1995 Kimiko Date
1996 Chanda Rubin
1998 Anna Kournikova
2008 Jelena Jankovic
2012 Aga Radwanska (W)
2015 Carla Suarez Navarro
2017 Johanna Konta (W)
2024 Danielle Collins (W)
2025 Jessie Pegula
=DOUBLES=
[recent champions]
2018 Ash Barty/CoCo Vandeweghe
2019 Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka
2020 DNP
2021 Shuko Aoyma/Ena Shibahara
2022 Laura Siegemund/Vera Zvonareva
2023 Coco Gauff/Jessie Pegula
2024 Sofia Kenin/Bethanie Mattek-Sands
2025 Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider
[Most Titles]
7 - Jana Novotna, CZE
5 - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
4 - Martina Hingis, SUI
3 - Nadia Petrova, RUS
3 - Lisa Raymond, USA
3 - Helena Sukova, CZE
2 - Gigi Fernandez, USA
2 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS
2 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2 - Martina Navratilova, USA
2 - Larisa Savchenko Neiland, LAT
2 - Pam Shriver, USA
2 - Katarina Srebotnik, SLO
2 - Samantha Stosur, AUS
2 - Ai Sugiyama, JPN
2 - Natasha Zvereva, BLR
[Most Titles - duos]
2 - Hingis/Novotna, SUI/CZE
2 - Novotna/Sanchez Vicario, CZE/ESP
2 - Novotna/Sukova, CZE/CZE
2 - Raymond/Stosur, USA/AUS
[Consecutive Titles]
1986-87 Pam Shriver, USA
1989-90 Novotna/Sukova, CZE/CZE
1992-93 Larisa Savchenko Neiland, LAT
1995-96 Novotna/Sanchez Vicario, CZE/ESP
1996-97 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1998-99 Hingis/Novotna, SUI/CZE
2006-07 Raymond/Stosur, USA/AUS
2012-13 Nadia Petrova, RUS
2014-15 Martina Hingis, SUI

*"SUNSHINE DOUBLE" (IW/MIA) WINNERS*
[WS]
1994 Steffi Graf, GER
1996 Steffi Graf, GER
2005 Kim Clijsters , BEL
2016 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL
[WD]
1997 Natasha Zvereva, BLR
1999 Martina Hingis, SUI
2002 Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs, USA/AUS
2006 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2007 Lisa Raymond/Samantha Stosur, USA/AUS
2015 Martina Hingis/Sania Mirza, SUI/IND
2016 Bethanie Mattek-Sands, USA
2019 Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka, BEL/BLR
[both WS/WD in career]
none (Sabalenka would be the first w/ a '26 singles title in Miami)
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NOTE: Jana Novotna/Helena Sukova won both IW/Mia as non-consecutive events in 1990






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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 9:46 AM


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The US: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKc...

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— 🇨🇦 Fuzzy 🇵🇹 (@canadianfuzzy.bsky.social) March 17, 2026 at 7:53 AM


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Remember: It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford. It’s about priorities.

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— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) March 20, 2026 at 3:16 PM


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Someday, Trump will die as we all must, and on that day, his knuckle-dragging fanbase will be scandalized and aggrieved that anyone would breath a negative word about him upon his death. Remind them of days like today when Trump said he's "glad" that Robert Mueller died.

— Charlotte Clymer (@charlotteclymer.bsky.social) March 21, 2026 at 2:13 PM


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Can't argue with that.

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— Space Pig (@realspacepig.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 9:21 AM


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I know he's had a troublesome history at times in the years since, but his Xander was an essential character on a great show. Wouldn't have been the same without his performance. I saw someone say he was the "Chandler" (from Friends) of Buffy, and I thought that was a pretty fair comparison. (And, ironically, both he and Matthew Perry are gone.)



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All for now.

Read more...

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 5:55 PM  5 comments