2019 WTA Preview: Prediction Blowout
Soon all the coaching changes, offseason training regimens, and attempts to adjust to and recalibrate as a result of what happened *last* season will be put to the ultimate test.
Yet again.
As Week 1 arrives, the slate is officially wiped clean for all involved as the packaging is ripped off a new-in-the-box WTA campaign. For a brief moment, everyone will be equal in the eyes of the still undefined season, and all things the heart desires will be possible once more. And then the first round of matches will be completed and the knock-down, drag-out competition that is the Most Interesting Tour in the World will claim its initial victims.
And then everything gets serious.
Within two weeks, we'll be crowning the first WTA champions of 2019. Before all the preseason notions begin to be chipped away, though, it's time to stake out a few positions regarding what
First up, gauging the position on the temperature spectrum of 2019's Top 10 contenders.
Elina Svitolina, UKR (2018 #4): Trusting the Process has turned out to be Svitolina's true north. At least it appears so as 2019 begins. The Ukrainian's step-by-step career path has been well known, as she's made winning (and defending) titles, notching big wins (29 Top 10 victories since 2014, 20 the last two years, including a tour-best six vs. #1's since '16) and climbing the rankings ladder seem routine. Getting her big slam breakthrough? Not so much. A change in training produced a leaner physique last season, and as her upward progression seemed to stall around mid-year it was easy to question whether she'd sacrificed power and stamina for quickness... and wasn't her real problem in majors between her ears, anyway? But the Ukrainian didn't deviate from her plan, and in the closing weeks she battled to make the Singapore field while some questioned whether she deserved to be there (despite the points-based qualification for the event being as fair and balanced as any formula could be). When she made it, then opened with a win, she took the opportunity to note that she was well aware of the detractors, and that she'd used the criticism as fuel. She then went about justifying The Process by going undefeated in the event, winning a series of tight, confidence-building matches en route to the WTA Finals crown, the biggest of her career. A year after Caroline Wozniacki rode the momentum from a WTAF title run to her maiden slam win in Melbourne, Svitolina is now in the Dane's shoes as 2019 begins. With her Singapore win officially making her the only player in tour history with 13+ singles titles but ZERO slam semifinal results, the breakthrough has to happen this season, right? She couldn't open a year in a better frame of mind, with burgeoning confidence, an appropriate swagger and a hint of the leftover Singapore desire to prove herself. If not now, then when? After deciding to promote Andrew Bettles to her main coach, if she took a step back would she have to start over again from scratch? It'd be a decision that would go against the pattern of Svitolina's entire career, which has seemingly advanced with a long-term plan to smartly build one higher level of success upon another while shoring up lingering weaknesses along the way. Thankfully, it doesn't look as if Eli will have to hit any "reset" button. 2019 will (finally) be the season she's been dreaming of and building toward for years. She'll lead the tour in titles and Top 10 wins. But she's done that before. The difference will be that those numbers will be secondary factoids, as Svitolina's headlines will include her long-awaited slam "moment" (a title, or at least a final) and first appearance atop the WTA rankings.
I was not wasting my time during the pre season ???? #HardWorkPaysOff ?? pic.twitter.com/8hFJQmUkb2
— Elina Svitolina (@ElinaSvitolina) December 21, 2018
Simona Halep, ROU (1): just about all of Simona's dreams came true in 2018. Her next stated goal is winning Olympic Gold for her beloved Romania, but her chance for that won't come until 2020. Til then, at least at the start of the new season, Halep will go it alone after coach Darren Cahill's announced one-year hiatus to spend time with his family. Whether she continues to captain her own ship all season will likely depend on how well the world #1 has taken the Aussie's coping (with pressure, both from within and without) lessons to heart. Assuming the back injury that ended her season won't continue to be a lingering problem (she's released practice video, and is signed up for early season events... so, fingers crossed), Halep should be in the mix for a title in just about any draw she enters, just as has been the case the last five seasons that have seen her consecutively finish at #3-#2-#4-#1-#1. It'll just be a matter of health (which she struggled with, but ultimately overcame, throughout '18) and her continued ability to finish, successfully avoiding those famed (and treacherous) "Cliffs of Simona." She proved during the North American hard court season that winning Roland Garros didn't dampen her ability or willingness to compete until the bitter end, coming within a MP of becoming the first woman to sweep the Rogers Cup and Cincinnati titles in back-to-back weeks. A wire-to-wire #1 season isn't out of the question in '19, especially since her closest competitors (#2 Kerber, with a title and AO semi, and #3 Wozniacki, with her AO crown) also have a large number of early season points to defend (Halep has a Week 1 title and AO final), though she'd be susceptible to an end-run from #4 Svitolina or #5 Osaka should they win in Melbourne. That said, a full season hold on the #1 ranking isn't likely. Still, expect another fine season from Halep, complete with a slam final (or multiple SF), at least two titles and a late-season shot to finish #1 for a third straight year.
Serena Williams, USA (16): at this point, it's really only about the slams, right? Even while Williams has grown into a legendary sports and cultural icon both on and off the court over the past two decades, it's the breadth of her tennis accomplishments that will forever define her place in the sport. Back from becoming a mom and another health scare, she had two opportunities in slam finals to finally record her Margaret Court-tying 24th major title last season. She didn't get the win in either London or New York, and even managed to roll through another of her by-now-characteristic and unsurprising big stage meltdowns while losing at Flushing Meadows with her "Q-rating" intact and her status undiminished (even if at some point Williams' biggest backers are going to have to acknowledge that for all the good she's done and embodied, Serena bears some measure of responsibility and blame for the reality that ultimately her legacy must include a discussion of a few "dark moments" that, frankly, should have been beneath someone of her stature). Between now and the end of 2019, it's hard to imagine Williams won't finally match Court in the record books, and quite possibly pass her by, as well. Assuming her health holds up, she'll be a Top 10 player (maybe Top 5, or even better) even if she plays a shortened non-slam schedule with only a few big results. But rankings (ironic, considering her return last year led to the recent ranking changes that benefit returning mothers... or in *her* case, the players who might have to play *one particular mother* TOO early in a draw) have never mattered much to Serena. She's won slams from positions all over the WTA computer throughout her career. She'll do it again in 2019. At least once.
Angelique Kerber, GER (2): Kerber flipped the script back in 2018. One year after dropping from #1 to outside the Top 20, she won career slam #3 (at Wimbledon, defeating Serena in a *second* slam final) and climbed all the way back to #2, going 18-3 in slams (she was 20-2 in her career year in '16) and recording six Top 10 wins. The German will turn 31 during the Australian Open, an age after which only two women not named Serena have won major titles (they were named Martina and Flavia, BTW). This season and next, Kerber seems set to possibly play the part of the proverbial "canary in the coal mine" as far as the "normal" (i.e. not you-know-who) thirtysomething crowd's continued slam viability as Generation PDQ's roots fully take hold on the tour. If her '18 season is any indication, how Kerber gets out of the gate may give us a clue to her '19 prospects. The German rebounded from her disappointing '17 by winning ten straight (14 w/ the Hopman Cup) last January, grabbing her first title in over a year and reaching the AO semis (falling just short vs. Halep in the season's "Match of the Year"). She only won one other title, but it was Wimbledon at the end of a 10-2 grass season. Her results tailed off in the back half of the year (7-7 after SW19), so one wonders if she's still capable of the sort of all-season long sprint that characterized 2016 (and maybe contributed to her "low on fuel" follow-up campaign). She'll enter the new year without coach Wim Fissette, who helped Kerber bring everything back together before once again hitting the road for parts and challenges unknown (well, not really -- he's since teamed up with Vika), so it'll be up to Rainer Schuettler to help her maintain her high level of results. With a coaching background that has included stints with middlin' ATPers Sergiy Stakhovsky and Vasek Pospisil, it remains to be seen if the all-German team will develop a recognizable synergy. The thought here is that Kerber won't fall off as she did two seasons ago, but while her slam results will be consistently good she won't pick up slam #4. She'll win more singles titles than a season ago, but will top out in the majors at the SF stage (quite possibly at Roland Garros, which would still be her best Paris finish at the one slam missing in her career trophy collection).
Naomi Osaka, JPN (5): the Great Wave of Osaka finally crashed onto the WTA shores in 2018. Hard. Granted, the 21-year old's burgeoning legend was built upon just two events last season, but what extended performances they were. In fourteen matches in Indian Wells and Flushing Meadows, Osaka lost just *two* sets (to Maria Sakkari and Aryna Sabalenka, respectively), and overcame the sort of unsettling non-tennis display from Serena during the U.S. Open final that might have derailed the concentration of many young players. In fact, it may have done as much to Osaka herself before last season, a campaign which was intelligently grounded by her preseason decision to bring aboard Sascha Baijin as coach. In his first solo coaching gig, Baijin proved just how much he learned working in the past with the likes of players who could go by just their first names (Serena, Vika, Caro). His corralling of Osaka's huge talents and calming of the frustrations that sometimes brought her down to her earth in the past earned him the tour's well-deserved inaugural Coach of the Year honor. The "year after," though, brings along a whole new set of issues, from maintaining Osaka's focus to enabling her to handle her new level of expectation. It's never going to be a simple breeze when so many are calling you "the future of the sport," saying you'll soon reach #1 AND win another slam in '19. All of that might be true, but never forget that Williams herself went over two full seasons between slam win #1 and #2, and Latvian Thunder seemed all set for world domination after winning Roland Garros in '17 and showing no immediate signs of a dip in results soon afterward (she ended up title-less and outside the Top 20 in '18). Osaka's mood/match-altering serve game will probably prevent a similar step back in '19, but as January approaches it'd be good to *also* note that if you take away her I.W. run the Japanese star was just 19-15 in WTA MD matches last year before the U.S. Open (including 13-11 in the time between the desert and New York City). After winning seven of eight post-Open matches in Asia, Osaka's adrenaline rush subsided and she lost a final in Tokyo (to Pliskova) and went 0-3 in Singapore. We know what Osaka is capable of, but there's a good chance her busy offseason, new commitments (to sponsors and the tour) and responsibilities (as the face and hope of Japanese tennis) might have her fighting to stay balanced for much of the year. As so many new young champs have proven before her, it ain't as easy as it sometimes looks. That said, Osaka is still going to be a wrecking ball at times this coming year. (At least) another slam final is certainly likely, and she very well could lead the tour in Premier titles. But there will come a moment this year when she loses a few matches in a row, is frustrated and a few eyebrows are raised when she falls to a lower ranked player most think she should smoke in under an hour. That's when the tale of her season will be told. In 2018, her post-I.W. dip reversed course when Osaka, after apologizing to fans for her play, found a way to break free of her ennui and make things "fun" again. The result was the U.S. Open win and all that's come with it. And it's been A LOT, with still more to come. Of course, if Naomi *is* the transformative presence that will soon dominate the tour, maybe she'll bypass the usual "year after" haze and pick up in 2019 right where she left off in New York, and never relent. That *probably* won't be the case, but if it is... well, look out, world.
Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (11): in 2017, Sabalenka's Fed Cup bombast gave everyone an early indication that she was planning something. In 2018, her big-hitting game, heroine's heart and raging fire within allowed her to knock on the doors of the tour's top players rather vociferously. Will she mastermind a home invasion of all involved in 2019? Maybe. It wouldn't be right to dub Sabalenka possibly "this year's Osaka" because she's too far along for that, and very nearly *was* Osaka last season (she won the Newcomer of the Year award). Their "Boom-Shaka-Osaka" Round of 16 clash at the U.S. Open looked, felt and played out like a battle to determine which generational fireballer would be the one to scale the tour's pyramid of power first. Sabalenka was the first to take a set off Osaka in the event, and the Japanese star wouldn't lose another en route to the title. To say that Sabalenka realized how close *she* was to living Osaka's New York dream would be an understatement. The Belarusian, who'd already reached finals on three difference surfaces during the season, spent the rest of the year taking her game's engine to the limit in an all-out pursuit of happiness... and Singapore (she came up just short of making the field), and the Top 10 (she finished #11), and the desire to make a huge closing statement about what will soon be her place in the game. In the end, even with her biggest title (Premier 5 Wuhan) and the running up of her season Top 10 win total (she had eight, seven coming on hard court from July forward as she ended on a 25-7 run), the calendar ran out before she could complete her goals. That'll change in 2019. After going 0-3 in the first three majors of '18, Sabalenka has so much room to grow it's crazy. But maybe not as crazy as the notion that she'll still be just 20 years old come the start of May. By then, her day may have *already* come. I'm going to stop just short of predicting her to be Generation PDQ's next first-time slam champ in '19 (I'm picking her to "only" reach her maiden major final, but pick up a Premier Mandatory title), but I also realize that I very well may regret not taking that plunge now when I recap these picks in about eleven months time. Actually, I might already fully regret it before the the start of February, if you know what I mean.
Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (3): in 2018, the Dane finally did it. Boosted by a more aggressive style and confidence gained from a season-ending WTAF title run in '17, Wozniacki saved two MP early on in Melbourne and went on to finally claim her maiden slam at the Australian Open. She returned to the #1 spot for a month before Halep held it for the remainder of the season. As the year wore on, newly engaged and with her big career "get" in her back pocket, it was easy to wonder if Wozniacki still wanted *more* from her tennis and whether her mind was elsewhere. While she didn't drop away after the AO, she *was* a quiet presence for much of the season. She won her first grass title in nine years during the summer, but was just an "okay" 23-14 after Melbourne into the 4Q. But once she learned how to deal with what had been a lingering, undiagnosed injury (it turned out to be rheumatoid arthritis) that wasn't figured out by doctors until U.S. Open time, Caro put on a nice closing push in Asia. She won a Premier Mandatory title in Beijing and if she'd been out of the gates a bit quicker in Singapore (she listlessly dropped her opening RR match to Pliskova before finding her footing) she'd reached the semis with a real shot to defend her crown. With the possibility of becoming a younger generation's face of her condition and how to overcome it, a second slam title in '19 would come complete with several additional layers of storyline than was even the case with her Down Under run of a season ago. The thought is that she won't get it, but barring injury Wozniacki should remain the Top 10 player she's been for most of the last decade (ankle injuries knocked her into the teens in 2015-16), pick up a handful of titles (she enters the season with 30, six behind Maria Sharapova for the recognition of being the winningest active non-Williams on tour), and put up her eighth career slam semi, as well.
Garbine Muguruza, ESP (18): sometimes the Mugu-ing goes well, sometimes it doesn't. In 2018, a year after Muguruza won slam #2, there were far more misses than hits as the Spaniard dropped from #2 to #18, by far the biggest one season slip in her career (her previous worst follow-up was just a four-spot fall from #3 to #7 from '15 to '16). She won just one small title in Monterrey, didn't post a big match win after March (going 1-4 vs. the Top 20, with early losses meaning her only Top 10 foe was #1 Halep in the RG semis) and after posting consistent slam results for a full season (QF-4r-W-4r) for the first time in her career in '17, Muguruza's nice Roland Garros SF run was joined by a trio of 2nd Round exits at the other three majors. Coach Sam Sumyk is still on board Team Garbi as 2019 begins, though it should be noted that Mugurzua's best slam run since she won her maiden major in Paris in 2016 -- her '17 SW 19 title -- came with Conchita Martinez acting as a coaching fill-in for the fortnight. One has to wonder how much life is left in the Muguruza/Sumyk partnership, as it often feels more akin to the dynamic between a spoiled and squabbling teen and an exasperated parent (not exactly an oddity with many coach/pupil set-ups as viewed from the outside, it should *also* be noted) than the picture of a finely tuned machine with all the gears greased and working smoothly to produce the best communication, respect and results possible. Muguruza *did* pick things up a bit down the final stretch, going 10-6 after the U.S. Open. But the one good thing about a bad stretch (or season, in this case) for the Spaniard is that, like the tides, the Law of Muguruza is that an ebb is inevitably followed by a strong flow in the opposite direction. It'd be just like Muguruza to follow up a disappointing campaign with possibly a career year. Though she's capable of dominating anyone on tour in her best form, it's crazy to impose that sort of prediction on *any* season from the WTA's most hard-to-gauge player (yes, even more so that, say, Sveta), but it'd be smart to expect a rebound. While consistency can't be assured, it almost seems a lock that Muguruza will reach another high tide in '19, say by winning slam title #3 (to go along with one or two 1r/2r losses at other majors) and reclaiming her spot in the Top 10.
Karolina Pliskova, CZE (8): in 2016, Pliskova looked suspiciously like the next most likely first-time slam champ. During that summer she dominated on hard courts and nearly won the U.S. Open. Over the next year and a half, though, something changed. The Czech seemed to top out as far as improving her game (her better movement, for one, had proven to be a key component in her rise that season), and the big serving skills that ultimately propelled her to #1 (for eight weeks one year after her big' 17 summer) often was a nonentity when she needed it most. Pliskova still put up nice serving numbers, but the shot was no longer an element with which she controlled the direction of matches as she once had. Her 2018 season had quite a few good moments, including one of her best clay court campaigns ever (she won her first clay title in three years, and had her first Top 10 wins on the surface since '14), but it was only after she jettisoned coach Tomáš Krupa (her last in a string of male Czech coaches) in favor of what will be a new combination with Aussie Rennae Stubbs (w/ Conchita Martinez, who worked with her at the U.S. Open, putting in some time, as well) that Pliskova began to once again to "feel" like the player she'd been two seasons earlier. With her drive renewed, the gameday significance of her serve returned (perhaps one fed off the other?). She followed up her best Wimbledon showing (4th Rd.) with a QF in New York and big win in the Tokyo final over U.S. Open champ Naomi Osaka in front of her home fans, and ended with a WTAF semifinal finish. She posted half (3) of her season's Top 10 win total in the final quarter. With some of her intangibles intact once again, Pliskova may be able to give a little more finishing bite to what has been an underrated good slam run the last few seasons. After not reaching a Round of 16 in her first seventeen majors, she's done so at seven of her last nine (w/ six QF+ results). As 2019 begins, she's legitimately back in the slam winning mix, and not just because of her high ranking. Pliskova once again has the *look* of a player capable of scaling the mountain. Will she do it? She *could*, but I'm not going to predict her to do so. I am placing her in her first major final since '16, though, as well as in the winner's circle in tournaments on hard, clay and grass surfaces in a season for the first time in her career, as well as assuming the role of "MVP" for another of the Czech Republic's successful Fed Cup runs.
Kiki Bertens, NED (9): the Dutch star proved she was more than just a clay courter in '18, winning Cincinnati on hard courts and reaching the QF on the grass at Wimbledon. Was it just a one year all-surface surge, or the start of a stretch where the 27-year old becomes a late twentysomething, Kerber-esque (any) big event threat into her thirties? If the commitment that bred the confidence that led to the success of '18 remains, the latter could very well become her new norm (maybe she'll even actually be named the Dutch Female Athlete of the Year in '19 after being snubbed this past year!). Opening the year at #9, without a red clay title to defend (her Charleston win was on green) and just one Round of 16 slam result to back up, Bertens has room to pick up rankings points and rise still higher this season. At the very least, how about a campaign in which the improved fitness and aggression that led to greater success on hard courts allows her to "go back to her roots" and be *even better* on clay courts than she was in the past? Bertens' last red clay title was in July '17, and she's never won a Premier level event on her "best" surface. She should take care of that this year, and maybe equal (or knock off?) her best Roland Garros result ('16 semi), too. Add that to consistent results elsewhere, and she could poke her head into the Top 5 by the summer.
Dasha Kasatkina, RUS (10): with all the talk of Russians and walls, 2019 seems destined to be an extra special year for "The Russian Wall" herself, right? The swashbuckling Hordette made a big move in '18, reaching her biggest final (Indian Wells), having her best slam results (two QF), reaching the Top 10 and adding to her two-year run of fabulous results against the tour's very best players, as she increased her WTA leading 2017-18 win total over Top 3 players to eight (including two different #1's and three different #2's, all of which came *before* she reached the Top 10 herself). A player with a blessed combination of grind-it-out grit and one-shot brilliance, Kasatkina has left herself room to make an even more significant move in '19. Slightly more efficient matches could make a big difference, as while Kasatkina is a good three-set player (16-8 in '18) she often is taken to three when she could have won in two, leaving her more weary late in tournaments than she should be. It could be why her results tilted a bit downward in last season's final months. Other than her lung-filing Kremlin Cup title run back home in Russia, she was just 6-7 after Wimbledon. Kasatkina is only a breathtaking big slam run away from taking her rightful and acknowledged place as one of the best *and* most exciting players on tour. Here's to her putting up her first SF+ result at a major, as well as grabbing her biggest career title in '19 (Premier 5 or better, while reaching at least a Premier Mandatory final), enabling her to improve on her recently-completed "career year."
Ash Barty, AUS (15): the preeminent dual threat on tour, Barty is coming off her best singles season (titles on grass and hard courts, with her Elite Trophy win the *only* good thing to say about that particular so-called "tournament") and having won her first slam crown in doubles (U.S. w/ Vandeweghe). With her confidence growing in the closing months of '18 (and maybe WD partner CoCo having helped to loosen her up between the lines), the Aussie finished on a 17-6 singles run and reached her career ranking high. Expect more of the same in '19, with a Top 10 run, her biggest title to date (a Premier 5 or better), her first (and second) slam QF run, at least five Top 10 wins and maybe, just maybe, a lead role in what could be Australia's best chance for a huge FC victory in a while (it's AUS vs. USA in the 1st Round in February).
Petra Kvitova, CZE (7): Kvitova led the tour in titles (5) in '18, but was a shadow of her regular season self in the majors (1st-3rd-1st-3rd). While her comeback from hand surgery has taken much of the focus away from her lack of slam success, the fact is that she's reached just a pair of major QF (in 16 slam appearances) since winning her most recent Wimbledon title in 2014. Fifteen different players have as many in just the last two years. Kvitova needn't repeat in her tour-leading title winner role in '19 to remain in the Top 10. Just a couple of good slam runs will make up the different for any reduction in hardware attained, especially if the bump occurs at her "best" major, as she's gone just 4-4 at Wimbledon since winning her second crown there (which ended a SF-W-QF-QF-W stretch at SW19). SuperPetra will make a few appearances in '19, just maybe not during quite as many long stretches of dominance as last season. She'll win fewer titles, but will post better slam results en route to what might arguably be considered a "better" season even as her ranking ends up looking not quite as good as the "7" that stood by her name at the end of the most recent campaign.
Alona Ostapenko, LAT (22): normally, a season in which a 20/21 year old with just two career singles titles climbs to #5 in the rankings, records a pair of Top 10 wins (Svitolina/Kvitova), and reaches a Premier Mandatory final (Miami) and slam semi (Wimbledon) would be considered a *great* year. But this was 2018 for Ostapenko, a year after the Latvian won Roland Garros just a day out of her teens. In that context, her "year after" wasn't nearly the follow up that many wanted for her, and that she won no titles, fell out of the Top 20 and is now #2 in her own country were the "headlines" of her season. In truth, they've *all* relevant facts. Ostapenko proved she wasn't a one-slam wonder and is still the sparking talent she appeared to be in '17, but she also still has much to work on to maximize her career, namely her serve (second, but first, too) and willingness to change up her strategy a little more often when her feast-or-famine shots aren't landing in. The former is far more likely to be successfully coached out of her in '19 than the latter, and it's still an open question whether Glen Schaap (who came aboard mid-season in '18) is the right mentor to help usher Ostapenko into the next phase of her career. 2019 isn't a "make or break" season as far as the course of Ostapenko's path goes, but it could play a big role for her next three years. By the start of '20, she'll need to have determined whether Schaap or another coach is the right tennis mind to partner with, or else spend the *next* year and a half (or more) determining just who *is*, which would mean it might not be until '22 that she might be settled into a successful coach/pupil relationship that allows her to best utilize her tremendous talent off the ground along with her in-match fire without the sort of dangerously streaky, error-strewn, service-dropping stretches that doomed her chances of adding onto her '17 RG win last season. It feels totally wrong to think she'll have all her proverbial ducks in a row by the end of '19, but with the post-slam pressure alleviated *a little* look for her to get back into the title-winning game a few times, including at a nice-sized Premier event, and post another slam SF run *somewhere* (that's be three consecutive years with a major semi). If she's lucky, it'll be enough to get her back into the back end of the Top 10, or at least in the #12-15 range to set herself up nicely for '20.
Sloane Stephens, USA (6): is the at-best "temporary" break (no offseason work, or trip Down Under) with coach Kamau Murray a bad sign? The Stephens combination with Murray, the coach who finally "got" her, seemed to play a large role in Sloane finally settling and reaching her potential (though not without at least one sketchy stretch) the last season and a half. Much like Serena Williams before her, Stephens is the sort of Bannerette who can simmer on cool for quite a while, then gradually warm up enough that over the course of two weeks at a major she ultimately looks unbeatable on the final weekend (see '17 U.S. Open). She could have a middlin' season, see her ranking slide out of the Top 10, and *still* contend for her second major with a deep run in, well, any of the three slams at which she's contended for titles thus far. 2019 isn't opening with Stephens looking ready for a dominant season, but more likely one with a big Premier title and a deep, ultimately title-less, slam run, leading to bottom-of-the-Top 10 contention and a fight to slip into the WTA Finals in Shenzhen in the final weeks of the season (essentially, a repeat of '18).
Madison Keys, USA (17): if Keys could ever put together a totally healthy campaign she might finally live up to all of her early "future of U.S. tennis praise" from a few years ago. Remember, at age 23, she's already posted SF+ results at three different majors, and none have come on arguably her best surface (grass). In 2018, even while rarely healthy for long (she retired or went out via walkover in a quarter of her 16 events), she shined on big stages -- two slam SF and a QF, plus a Cincy QF and Charleston SF -- and actually *improved* her ranking in a season in which she reached no finals (and was 0-2 in the I.W./Miami swing), one year after winning Stanford and reaching the U.S. Open final. Can she put it all together and play a (mostly) full schedule this year? Why not? The odds have to be on her side at some point, right? One has to think she'll at least reach a few finals in '19, and maybe win a few titles, too. Say, winning her biggest crown yet (a Premier 5 would do it), matching or besting her biggest non-slam final (ditto) and putting on another deep slam run and returning to the Top 10 at some point during the season.
Katerina Siniakova, CZE (31): just how much will the confidence gained by the Czech's recent Fed Cup success bolster her upcoming '19 season? The 22-year old is a gifted player -- arguably the *most* gifted of the top players from her nation -- with enough versatlity that she won two slam doubles crowns and reached #1 in '18, but her singles inconsistency and sometimes overly emotional stretches have kept her fenced in between #30-50 in the rankings. She may have turned a significant corner, though. Not just with her FC clinching heroics in Prague, but with a handful of slam comeback wins that preceded that weekend, as well. Siniakova either saved MP or saw her opponent serve for the match (or both) in the 1st & 2nd rounds of *both* Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last season, and won all four matches. In 2019, a couple of Premier finals (all five career finals thus far have been of the International variety), a win in one of them as well in an Int'l final, along with a consistent slam slate (with at least one QF) and the Czechs might have a new Maiden chomping at the bit for a career-altering moment come the start of the 2020 season.
Preparation is a clue ???? pic.twitter.com/5bPzvkl8Pq
— Katerina Siniakova (@K_Siniakova) December 6, 2018
Anett Kontaveit, EST (21): Kontaveit has been "this close" to her breakout year for two seasons now. With a game that translates to all surfaces, she finally edged into the Top 20 for the first time late in '18 and ended the season on its doorstep after a campaign that saw her record six Top 10 wins. STAT NOTE: all eight of the Estonian's Top 10 victories have come over players who've won major titles in their careers. Still, Kontaveit has continued to only *knock* at the door of something big. 2019 could be the season she finally jimmies the lock and gains entry into the discussion of the game's top young players that far too often excludes her name. She'll end the singles title drought that extends back to the summer of '17, winning multiples titles for the first time, and will finally break through the slam Round of 16 (one at each of three different majors) glass ceiling this season. She got as far as finishing as the runner-up (to Sabalenka) in her attempt to grab a big title in Wuhan late this past season, so a Premier level (low or high) crown is a must for '19 to even begin to approach what it *could* be and what some season (if not this, then '20) *should* be soon.
Wang Qiang, CHN (20): with her ridiculous string of 4Q results (SF-W-SF-SF-RU-RU after the U.S. Open), and two "First Seed Out" upsets at majors, in '18 Wang became the biggest breath of fresh air to come out of Chinese tennis since, well, the great Li Na, of course. Her results in Asia got her into the Top 20, but can Wang put up some of her best results outside the continent and make the leap into the Top 10? The 26-year old was just 11-14 in MD play elsewhere in '18, with a Strasbourg QF and three-win run in Indian Wells her best results outside Asia. She sure looked like a Top 10 threat in the closing months, but she still has to prove it at other stops on the WTA schedule. Wang will likely still be at her best closer to home, but her personality and dramatic play can make her a fan favorite in any corner of the globe (ala Li), and that could go a long way toward winning close matches and putting up good results throughout the year. Look for her to have improved success elsewhere, making at least one final outside Asia and winning her first title a long way from home. Whether or not she can climb into the Top 10 will depend on if she can rattle off a few second week runs at the slams (her best results are 3rd Rounds at RG and the U.S.). It's easy to see her getting at least one QF+ major run in '19... and why not have it come in Melbourne, the "Asia/Pacific slam" where Li first made her slam breakthrough in the first slam of this nearly complete decade with a SF in '10?
Victoria Azarenka, BLR (51): after playing in just four of the last ten majors, calm reigns (finally) in Azarenka's personal life. That, as well as the return of Wim Fissette as coach, would seem to signal a return to serious contention for the former #1 and two-time slam champion. Or at least the *intention* and *will* is alive and well. But at nearly 30 (she'll make the jump in July), and with a history of injury issues, nothing is assured for Vika. Still, when she was last in good form and function on all fronts she swept Indian Wells and Miami in 2016 (remember?), and even as a pale shadow of her former self in '18 (just 12 events, with her best result a Miami semi) she almost had a Top 50 campaign. 2019 should see Azarenka's name "return to the conversation," with the Belarusian winning a Premier level crown and putting together at least one deep slam run that lights up all the "Vika is back" marquees. Whether it's enough to slip back into the Top 10 is debatable (she might need a slam final or win to pull off that), but a Top 20 season is well within the grasp of Azarenka 2.0 in the new year.
Anastasija Sevastova, LAT (11): always overshadowed by her younger countrywoman, Sevastova is Latvia's top-ranked player. She seems destined to (at least temporarily) make the small jump into the Top 10 in 2019's opening weeks/months, but the field will get crowded from there on out as the likes former slam winning vets and future major champions make their multi-headed, Hydra-like push for the game's upper echelon of rankings. Can Sevastova win BIG, and do it enough times, to keep ahead of enough of them to finish in the Top 10? She can probably be counted on to have a good season by her standards, but the top-out level of too many others will be too much for her to hold on and finish ahead of them all for her first season-ending Top 10 standing.
Julia Goerges, GER (14): has Goerges moved slightly beyond her late-blooming career peak (a slew of title runs, her first Top 10 ranking and maiden slam semi have all come since the final few weeks of the '17 season) and will now settle into being a Top 20 player for a few seasons into her thirties before the inevitable slippage begins to show? Or does the German Ace Queen still more new mountains to conquer before she's through? If she does, it'd probably be best she climb them in '19 before Generation PDQ gets an even stronger foothold. She's still seeking that first high Premier level title, but will have to settle for simply reaching her first such final in '19.
Elise Mertens, BEL (12): Mertens was a consistent singles and doubles threat in '18, but one would think she'll need to play a little bit less and win a bit bigger in the new year in order to stay fresh and continue her rise up the rankings. The Top 10 is within reach, but she'll have a singles title and AO semi to defend right out of the gate. So she might find herself having to battle her way back into the Top 20 and the calendar will say it's only February. To keep pace she'll replace two of her three '18 International level singles title with one Premier, and her AO semi with two QF runs. Though a path can be found, it'll prove to be too tough for the Belgian to *end* the year in the Top 10.
Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (241, now #191): a former Top 10 player and slam semifinalist (twice), Bacsinszky's return from hand surgery was slow in '18, but she methodically built up success in doubles before finally rounding into singles shape late in the year, ending on a 15-5 all-level run (with wins over the likes of Sabalenka and Cornet) that has her inside the Top 200 as '19 begins. At her best, she's a difficult bear to wrestle for even the top players, especially on clay. If she's truly back close to good form, she could be *the* comeback story of the season.
Dayana Yastremska, UKR (60, now #58): hail Mary, full of Dayana. If Bacsinszky is a Top 10 veteran comeback wild card heading into the '19 season, then just maybe the Ukrainian, the tour's highest-ranked teen, is the Generation PDQ prayer who under the perfect circumstances might arrive with the force of a thudding blow to the head. Ever since she battled, mini-Vika style, to a dramatic 2nd place vs. Anastasia Potapova in the Wimbledon girls final in 2016, the now 18-year old Yastremska has looked like a talent with a powerful fuse just waiting to be lit. After a star-crossed, year-long wait to reach her maiden slam draw, she finally made her major debut at last year's U.S. Open after last summer becoming the first woman born in the 2000s to reach the Top 100. She spent the final weeks of '18 picking up momentum for the new year, destroying Wang Qiang (yes, that Wang Qiang) in the Hong Kong final (yes, that Wang Qiang, in China) for her first tour title, then following up with a Luxembourg SF run that included wins over Garbine Muguruza and Margarita Gasparyan. The new season should bring her even more riches, including her first of many Top 10 wins, multiple singles titles (look for her to have soon won more titles before turning 19 over the past decade than any player since Wozniacki, who won five in 2008-09) and maybe even a Cinderella second-week-of-a-slam breakout that would make her the talk of the sport for at least a few days. She'll likely come up short of her ultimate goal, as she did in that junior final in London. But give her time. Yastremska will still be in her teenage years until the summer of 2020.
OTHER TOP 10 CONTENDERS: Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU (21), Caroline Garcia/FRA (19), Margarita Gasparyan/RUS (105, now #92), Maria Sharapova/RUS (29), CoCo Vandeweghe/USA (104, now #100), Venus Williams/USA (40, now #38)
-SELECTED SEASON-END #1's-
Africa/Middle East: Ons Jabeur/TUN
BLR: Aryna Sabalenka
CAN: Bianca Andreescu
CRO: Donna Vekic
CZE: Karolina Pliskova
FRA: Caroline Garcia
GBR: Katie Boulter
IND: Karman Thandi
LAT: Alona Ostapenko
MEX: Giuliana Olmos
POL: Iga Swiatek
RUS: Dasha Kasatkina
SLO: Tamara Zidansek
South America: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
SRB: Ivana Jorovic
SUI: Timea Bacsinszky
SVK: Viktoria Kuzmova
USA: Serena Williams
USA (non-Williams): Madison Keys
FIRST-TIME IN-SEASON TOP 10 JUMPS (i.e. not necessarily season-ending, for all jumps): Ash Barty/AUS, Aryna Sabalenka/BLR, Anastasija Sevastova/LAT, Wang Qiang/CHN
FIRST-TIME IN-SEASON TOP 20 JUMPS: Margarita Gasparyan/RUS, Camila Giorgi/ITA, Ons Jabeur/TUN, Sonya Kenin/USA, Petra Martic/CRO, Maria Sakkari/GRE, Katerina Siniakova/CZE, Donna Vekic/CRO, Dayana Yastremska/UKR
FIRST-TIME IN-SEASON TOP 50 JUMPS: Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS, Amanda Anisimova/USA, Anna Blinkova/RUS, Katie Boulter/GBR, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA, Ons Jabeur/TUN, Ivana Jorovic/SRB, Dalila Jakupovic/SLO, Kaja Juvan/SLO, Vera Lapko/BLR, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Bernarda Pera/USA, Rebecca Peterson/SWE, Anastasia Potapova/RUS, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Yafan/CHN, Dayana Yastremska/UKR, Tamara Zidansek/SLO
FIRST-TIME IN-SEASON TOP 100 JUMPS: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Marie Bouzkova/CZE, Harriet Dart/GBR, Francesca Di Lorenzo/USA, Caroline Dolehide/USA, Georgina Garcia Perez/ESP, Ivana Jorovic/SRB, Kaja Juvan/SLO, Marta Kostyuk/UKR, Veronika Kudermetova/RUS, Claire Liu/USA, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Liudmila Samsonova/RUS, Fanny Stollar/HUN, Iga Swiatek/POL, Jil Teichmann/SUI, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Sofya Zhuk/RUS
NEWCOMERS OF THE YEAR: Emiliana Arango/COL, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Fiona Ferro/FRA, Marta Kostyuk/UKR, Veronika Kudermetova/RUS, Anastasia Potapova/RUS, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Xinyu/CHN, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Sofya Zhuk/RUS
MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Anna Blinkova/RUS, Giulia Capocci/ITA (WC), Margarita Gasparyan/RUS, Sonya Kenin/USA, Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Katerina Siniakova/CZE, Fanny Stollar/HUN, Alja Tomljanovic/AUS, Marketa Vondrousova/CZE, Dayana Yastremska/UKR, Tamara Zidansek/SLO
SURPRISE PLAYERS: Katie Boulter/GBR, Harriet Dart/GBR, Georgina Garcia Perez/ESP, Polona Hercog/SLO, Giuliana Olmos/MEX, Elena-Gabriela Ruse/ROU, Liudmila Samsonova/RUS, Slovenian Fed Cup, Katarina Zavatska/UKR
COMEBACKS: Victoria Azarenka/BLR, Timea Bacsinszky/SUI, CiCi Bellis/USA, Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA, Margarita Gasparyan/RUS (since the WTA couldn't include her as an '18 nominee for Comeback Player), Sania Mirza/IND (d), Garbine Muguruza/ESP, Alona Ostapenko/LAT, Peng Shuai/CHN, Russian Fed Cup, CoCo Vandeweghe/USA
ITF ACHIEVERS: Clara Burel/FRA, Dasha Lopatetskaya/UKR, Andreea Amalia Rosca/ROU, Liudmila Samsonova/RUS, Gabriella Taylor/GBR
NAMES TO WATCH IN THE JUNIOR SLAMS (non-2018 final Top 10ers): Elisabetta Cocciaretto/ITA, Dasha Lopatetskaya/UKR, Eli Mandlik/USA, Yuki Naito/JPN, Diane Parry/FRA, Gabriella Price/USA, Emma Raducanu/GBR, Oksana Selekhmeteva/RUS, Daniela Vismane/LAT
DOUBLES DUOS TO WATCH: Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya (JPN/JPN), Veronika Kudermetova/Russian or Russian-born partners, from Natela Dzalamidze to Anna Blinkova, Galina Voskoboeva or others (RUS/RUS+?), Asia Muhammad/Maria Sanchez (USA/USA), Sabrina Santamaria/Kaitlyn Christian (USA/USA), Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (AUS/CHN)
NCAA CHAMPION: Ashley Lahey/USA (Pepperdine) [to watch: Michaela Gordon/USA (Stanford), Eden Richardson/GBR (LSU) and Lourdes Carle/ARG (Georgia)]
FIRST-TIME SLAM WINNER: Elina Svitolina/UKR
FIRST-TIME SLAM FINALISTS: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR, Elina Svitolina/UKR
FIRST-TIME SLAM SEMIFINALISTS: Dasha Kasatkina/RUS, Aryna Sabalenka/BLR, Elina Svitolina/UKR + another of the first-time quarterfinalists below... if I had to pick ONE, I guess I'd go with Czech FC heroine Siniakova
FIRST-TIME SLAM QUARTERFINALISTS: Ash Barty/AUS, Mihaela Buzarnescu/ROU, Margarita Gasparyan/RUS, Aryna Sabalenka/BLR, Katerina Siniakova/CZE, Wang Qiang/CHN, Dayana Yastremska/UKR
FIRST-TIME SLAM ROUND OF 16's: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA, Ons Jabeur/TUN, Sonya Kenin/USA, Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Maria Sakkari/GRE, Katerina Siniakova/CZE, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Qiang/CHN, Dayana Yastresmka/UKR
FIVE NOTABLE FIRST-TIME SLAM 1st ROUND WINNERS: Amanda Anisimova/USA, Ankita Raina/IND, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Dayana Yastremska/UKR
FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS: Ons Jabeur/TUN, Sonya Kenin/USA, Petra Martic/CRO, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Yulia Putintseva/KAZ (finally), Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, Iga Swiatek/POL, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Zheng Saisai/CHN
FIRST-TIME WTA FINALISTS: CiCi Bellis/USA, Ivana Jorovic/SRB, Sonya Kenin/USA, Marta Kostyuk/UKR, Veronika Kudermetova/RUS, Viktoria Kuzmova/SVK, Vera Lapko/BLR, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Wang Yafan/CHN, Tamara Zidansek/SLO
FIRST-TIME WTA SEMIFINALISTS: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Anna Blinkova/RUS, Katie Boulter/GBR, Caroline Dolehide/USA, Fiona Ferro/FRA, Dalma Galfi/HUN, Ivana Jorovic/SRB, Kaja Juvan/SLO, Marta Kostyuk/UKR, Veronika Kudermetova/RUS, Liang En-shuo/TPE, Claire Liu/USA, Karolina Muchova/CZE, Iga Swiatek/POL, Wang Xinyu/CHN, Wang Xiyu/CHN, Sofya Zhuk/RUS
HIGHEST RANKED WITHOUT A CAREER TITLE: Anastasia Potapova/RUS
HIGHEST RANKED WITHOUT A CAREER FINAL: Anna Blinkova/RUS
2.Ivana Jorovic, SRB
3.Katie Boulter, GBR
4.Fiona Ferro, FRA
5.Viktoriia Dema, UKR
All right. Now for some additional notions that I can look back on eleven months from now with a smile or, quite likely, one of several more-than-a-little incredulous, fully Ostapenko-istic, "nonverbal articulations" in recognition of any number of dubious accomplishments.
===============================================
2019 SLAM DOUBLES TITLES: (1 each) Babos/Mladenovic, Barty/Vandeweghe, Stosur & *someone* (Sh.Zhang or w/ a last-minute partner), a duo consisting of at least one Czech (Hlavackova, Krejcikova, Siniakova, Strycova, etc.)
===============================================
2019 SLAM MIXED DOUBLES TITLES: (1 each) Gaby Dabrowski, Andreja Klepac, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Alona Ostapenko
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2019 IN-SEASON SINGLES #1's: Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina, Serena Williams
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2019 IN-SEASON DOUBLES #1's: Timea Babos, Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, Kristina Mladenovic
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2019 ROUND OF 16 AT ALL FOUR SLAMS: Caroline Garcia, Angelique Kerber, Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Svitolina, Serena Williams
===============================================
2019 QF AT ALL FOUR SLAMS: Elina Svitolina, Serena Williams
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2019 SINGLES TITLE LEADER: Elina Svitolina
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2019 MATCH WIN LEADER: Angelique Kerber
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Caroline Garcia will record her first career win over a world #1, then later get a second over a DIFFERENT world #1.
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Laura Siegemund will reach her first tour level singles final (on clay, of course) since her knee injury, win a tour-level WD title on the surface and have her career best Roland Garros result (3rd Rd.+).
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CoCo Vandeweghe will return to the Top 30 and reach a slam quarterfinal, as well as once again be Kathy Rinaldi's "right hand woman" in Fed Cup.
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At some point during the season there will be TWO Canadians ranked in the Top 60. On that note, Bianca Andreescu will claim titles in a $100K challenger and WTA 125 Series event; while Genie Bouchard will reach her first tour-level singles final since 2016.
===============================================
Timea Bacsinszky will return to the Top 20, reach a slam QF and record three Top 10 wins, her first since the spring of 2017 and subsequent hand surgery.
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Mihaela Buzarnescu will come within a single match win of reaching the Top 10, but will get no closer. She'll reach a pair of slam QF, record the biggest win of her career (current best: over #4 Svitolina, '17 RG), as well as claim 3+ doubles titles.
===============================================
Amanda Anisimova will post a match win in a slam over a former #1-ranked player.
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Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (career titles: 12) will replace Elina Svitolina as the only player in tour history with 13+ titles but zero slam semifinal results.
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Garbine Muguruza will win 3+ titles in a season for the first time.
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Four different Belarusians will reach WTA singles finals, with three winning titles during the season.
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A Top 20 women's singles player will be defaulted from a match.
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The Czechs will retain their Fed Cup championship.
Maria Sharapova will claim her first singles title since 2017 -- and biggest since 2015 (Italian Open - Premier 5) -- but will not climb back into the Top 10. She'll finish in the Top 20 for the first time since 2015.
===============================================
Demi Schuurs will win WTA doubles titles with four different partners.
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Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic will finally play against each other in a singles match for the first time since the publicly contentious end of their doubles partnership. Garcia will win, while Mladenovic will provide her with a sincerely (that's *key*) gracious greeting at the net. Kiki will then go on to win her first singles title since February 2017 (she's 0-4 in finals since then, and currently 1-7 for her career). #KarmicKiki
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Andrea Petkovic will play in her first WTA singles final since February 2015.
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Margarita Gasparyan will reach the Top 20 in both singles and doubles, win a pair of tour-level singles titles and advance to at least the QF of a major.
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Alona Ostapenko will win a slam Mixed Doubles title, and reach a slam Doubles final.
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Sloane Stephens will win either Indian Wells or Miami, as well as her first WTA doubles title (quite possibly as part of a sweep of one of the aforementioned tournaments).
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Svetlana Kuznetsova will claim her final WTA singles title.
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21+ different nations will produce tour-level singles champions, the most since 2012. The list will include the first champion hailing from Slovenia since that same year (P.Hercog - Bastad).
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A South American girl will reach a slam junior singles final, the first in more than a decade ('08 US: Gabriela Paz/VEN). The last winner from the continent was Maria-Emilia Salerni (ARG) at the 2000 U.S. Open.
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Vera Zvonareva will return to the WTA Top 75 for the first time since 2012.
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Wang Qiang will be the first Chinese player ever to win three tour-level singles titles in a season.
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Venus Williams will be shut out as far as singles titles for the third straight season (a career-worst drought), but will reach her first final since 2017 and play in a slam QF.
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Ash Barty will be the first player since February 2016 (Lucie Safarova) to be ranked in the WTA Top 10 in both singles and doubles simultaneously during the season.
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After an encouraging start with coach Dimitri Zavialoff, Johanna Konta will be searching for a new coach again before the start of 2020.
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Elite Trophy champion: Anett Kontaveit
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A woman representing Mexico will play a main draw slam singles match (I predict this almost every year, I know. I'll be correct, too... some day.)
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2019 WHEELCHAIR SLAMS: Diede de Groot will sweep all four majors to win a four-part singles Grand Slam, becoming the first ever (Esther Vergeer competed when Wimbledon didn't have a singles competition) to do so. She'll also pick up the two titles (AO doubles & RG singles) she needs to become the first player to win all eight slam crowns in a career. In the end, though, she'll come up one slam doubles title short of going 8-for-8 in '19.
Yui Kamiji will reach three singles slam finals, and win at least two slam doubles crowns (if she splits her four slam partnerships between de Groot and another player, such as possibly a back-from-having-a-baby Jordanne Whiley late in the year at the U.S. Open, she'll complete a Doubles Grand Slam for the season).
Some new deep-in-the-draw blood: Kgothatso Montjane (RSA) will be a surprise slam singles finalist, while Giuliana Capocci (ITA) will reach a semifinal.
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2019 NAME GAME: Belgium's Eliessa Vanlangendonck (currently 0-10 in career WS semis, and 1-7 in WD finals) will win her first *TWO* ITF singles titles, and at least three ITF doubles crowns.
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2002 Venus Williams, USA
2003 Serena Williams, USA
2004 Lindsay Davenport/USA, Eleni Daniilidou/GRE (co-PoW)
2005 Elena Dementieva, RUS
2006 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2007 Dinara Safina, RUS
2008 Li Na, CHN
2009 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2010 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2011 Vera Zvonareva, RUS
2012 Petra Kvitova, CZE
2013 Serena Williams, USA
2014 Serena Williams, USA
2015 Maria Sharapova/RUS, Simona Halep/ROU (co-PoW)
2016 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Simona Halep, ROU
**CAREER WEEK 1 TITLES - active**
2...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2...Eleni Daniilidou, GRE
2...Serena Williams, USA
2...Venus Williams, USA
1...Lauren Davis, USA
1...Julia Goerges, GER
1...Simona Halep, ROU
1...Jelena Jankovic, SRB
1...Kaia Kanepi, EST
1...Petra Kvitova, CZE
1...Karolina Pliskova, CZE
1...Lucie Safarova, CZE
1...Maria Sharapova, RUS
1...Katerina Siniakova, CZE
1...Sloane Stephens, USA
1...Elina Svitolina, UKR
1...Yanina Wickmayer, BEL
--
NOTE: Srebotnik won 1 singles title
**CAREER "DOROTHY TOUR" (AUS/NZL) TITLES - active**
9...Serena Williams, USA
4...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
3...Eleni Daniilidou, GRE
2...Simona Halep, ROU
2...Angelique Kerber, GER
2...Petra Kvitova, CZE
2...Elise Mertens, BEL
2...Maria Sharapova, RUS
2...Venus Williams, USA
**MOST RECENT FIRST-TIME CHAMPS IN JANUARY**
=2014 Week 2=
Tsvetana Pironkova/Sydney, Garbine Muguruza/Hobart
=2017 Week 1=
Katerina Siniakova/Shenzhen, Lauren Davis/Auckland
**MOST RECENT FIRST-TIME CHAMPS IN WEEK 1**
2006 Marion Bartoli (Auckland) - first final
2009 Victoria Azarenka (Brisbane) - had been 0-4 in finals
2017 Katerina Siniakova (Shenzhen) - had been 0-2 in finals
2017 Lauren Davis (Auckland) - had been 0-2 in finals
**MOST RECENT MULTIPLE FIRST-TIME CHAMPS IN WEEK 1**
=2000=
Silvija Talaja/Gold Coast
Anne Kremer/Auckland
=2017=
Katerina Siniakova/Shenzhen
Lauren Davis/Auckland
**HOPMAN CUP CHAMPIONS**
1989 Czechoslovakia (Sukova/Mecir)
1990 Spain (A.Sanchez/E.Sanchez)
1991 Yugoslavia (Seles/Prpic)
1992 Switzerland (Maleeva-Fragniere/Hlasek)
1993 Germany (Graf/Stich)
1994 Czech Republic (Novotna/Korda)
1995 Germany (A.Huber/Bo.Becker)
1996 Croatia (Majoli/Ivanisevic)
1997 United States (Gimelstob/Rubin)
1998 Slovak Republic (Habsudova/Kucera)
1999 Australia (Dokic/Philippoussis)
2000 South Africa (Coetzer/W.Ferreira)
2001 Switzerland (Hingis/Federer)
2002 Spain (Sanchez-Vicario/Robredo)
2003 United States (S.Williams/Blake)
2004 United States (Davenport/Blake)
2005 Slovak Republic (Hantuchova/Hrbaty)
2006 United States (Raymond/Dent)
2007 Russia (Petrova/Tursunov)
2008 United States (S.Williams-Shaughnessy/Fish)
2009 Slovak Republic (Cibulkova/Hrbaty)
2010 Spain (Martinez-Sanchez/Robredo)
2011 United States (Mattek-Sands/Isner)
2012 Czech Republic (Kvitova/Berdych)
2013 Spain (Medina-Garrigues/Verdasco)
2014 France (Cornet/Tsonga)
2015 Poland (A.Radwanska/Janowicz)
2016 Australia Green (Gavrilova/Kyrgios)
2017 France (Mladenovic/Gasquet)
2018 Switzerland (Bencic/Federer)
All for now.
posted by Todd.Spiker @ 2:36 PM
27 Comments:
Some of those miscellaneous predictions are very, very interesting indeed! I can't stop wondering who's going to be defaulted. And I like the idea of Alona's winning a mixed doubles championship because I can't wait to see that match!
The main predictions pretty much reflect how I feel about things, too. I kind of like it that we can't really predict winners of majors anymore.
Of course, the French is slightly more predictable. If Simona is healthy, she could do it again, and so could Mugu. I give Kiki Bertens a nod, too. But the most fun would be for Angie to do it!
Haha. Yeah, now I'm going to have to root for some player to lose her mind just so that I can get that one right! :)
Of course, the other question is the identity of the umpire in such a match, and whether or not they'd be suddenly demonized for doing their job. That happens sometimes, you know. ;)
I can think of a few who might lose their nminds, so stay hopeful!
Solid writeup. The Kontaveit stat was the most interesting thing to me.
Impossible to be right on 100% of these, but Andreescu is a reach. Like Haddad Maia, Bacinszky, and Keys, the most talented from their country/reigon, but not durable enough to finish.
Venus will never be Top 10 again, mainly because she won't play enough.
Re Serena: You look at the last 20 years, and Serena has put her stamp all over the WTA's 21st century. Pregnancy seeding changes? Due to Serena. Hawkeye? Due to Serena(and Capriati). Seeding at slams? Serena and Venus. Maybe she should join the rules committee when she retires.
Stat of the Week-5 Number of wins against former slam winners for Naomi Osaka in 2018.
To open the 2019 season, I took a look back at the Top 20 vs all tournament winners in 2018, as a way to see trends for the upcoming season. That is coming when the 2019 season opens, which is on Monday.
However, what that did was point out how underrated Osaka's season was. You see, she beat Serena not once, but twice. But Serena did not win a title, so this will not be reflected. Nor will her wins over Sharapova, and Azarenka. 30 slams worth. She did get credit for Halep, though officially the IW win was before the French.
The flip side is that she also lost 5 matches, which is a badge of honor because it is rare for someone so young to even play 10 matches against former slam winners in a year. And her 5-5 record is even better than Martina Hingis in 1996, who went 4-6, beating Sanchez Vicario twice, plus Seles and Sabatini as a teen.
Osaka's losses were to Halep twice, Kerber twice and Stephens, and Kerber may be this year's target. Kerber has defeated her the last 4 times, all in the last 2 years.
And if you are wondering why Venus is not on this list, although recent, Osaka beat her for her last win of 2017.
Trivia question below.
Quiz Time!
Elina Svitolina beat Carolina Wozniacki at the YEC, making her one of the few in recent years to have beaten all 4 slam winners in the same season. Which other players have managed that feat? Multiple answers accepted.
A.Madison Brengle
B.Amelie Mauresmo
C.Victoria Azarenka
D.Jelena Jankovic
E.Kiki Bertens
Interlude-Ka.Pliskova is not a choice-technically she defeated all 4 in 2018, but just like her 2016 slam final, Kerber was the problem. Lost to her in regular WTA matches, but beat her in Fed Cup, so I did not count it.
There have been 7 times since 2004 in which we have had 4 different slam winners, including the last two. (A)Brengle is an obvious no, but also the easiest was to point out that since she was the only player to beat Serena in 2017, that nobody did it that year. She also beat Ostapenko, which made her a better choice for the poll than 2014 Cornet, who beat Serena three times, but lost to the only other slam winner she played in Sharapova. Hard to believe, but that wasn't the first time she did that. In 2008, she beat Serena(1-2), and lost to Ivanovic.
Speaking of 2008 (D)Jankovic is a correct answer. Although she lost to Serena in her one and only slam final, she beat her in Australia, as well as Venus in Stuttgart, Sharapova in Rome, and Ivanovic at the YEC. The Australia match is still a relevant storyline going into this year's Open. How? Well, Serena only played 3 slams with her low ranking last year, but not the AO. Almost 11 years and 48 matches later, the Jankovic/Williams is still the last one Serena has played in Australia as the lower ranked player. Williams-7, Jankovic 4.
(C)Azarenka is wrong, and the framework of that prevented her from becoming #1. Although she eventually got there, in 2011 she beat 3 of 4 in Clijsters, Li, and Stosur. The problem is that in a year in which she finished only 965 pts away from #1 at 3, she lost to Kvitova 3 times. Not small losses either. Madrid final, YEC final, and Wimbledon SF left 1410 pts on the board, not even projecting a Wimbledon win. That would have been another 600 pts.
Should be noted that Bartoli beat 3 of 4 the same year, but didn't play Li.
(B)Mauresmo is a correct answer, and the only person on this list who beat all 4 winners before the YEC. A much easier task that it is to lose to all 4, which Stosur did in 2014, and Sharapova did in 2005, as she did it the pure way, losing to all 4 slam winners at the slam they won.
As much as I like (E)Bertens, if you had asked me before the season if I though that she could beat 4 slam winners I would have said no. But she is a correct answer, and was economical about it. Take two tournaments, off clay no less, and she got Wozniacki and Halep in Cinci, plus Osaka and Kerber at the YEC.
Occasionally when I come upon stats like that one about Kontaveit, I'll think, "Ah, I bet Colt'll like that one." ;)
You might be right about Andreescu, but I'm still holding on to the fact that she's still only 18 (in a week it will officially have been two seasons ago that she won a WTA Breakthrough of the Month award) and maybe she'll get things straight in time for it not to be a career-long thing. I wish she would because whenever she *has* been healthy (and sometimes when she hasn't, as in that recent FC tie) her results have been super intriguing.
Also, though it's months away from a final Decade list, I think we know who'll be the #1 Player of the Decade. Hint: she was the #1 Player of the Decade in the PREVIOUS decade, too.
Not sure I would have given her Female Athlete of the Year like the AP did, though. Though it probably makes up a little for a few of the years that she *should* have won it and didn't.
Quiz: well, I *did* pick Mauresmo. Thought it might be JJ, since she seemed like a suspicious multiple choice possibility if she *wasn't* correct. Didn't realize that about Bertens... just another bit of evidence to throw onto the pile when trying to figure out how she was so snubbed that she wasn't *nominated* as the top Dutch female athlete for '18.
Happy New Year! Well, it will be if you read this after Monday. If I read the tea leaves correctly, or Todd uses the same format as last year, his next post will be after Week 1. So this week's post will clog this section :)
To figure out how to project the 2019 season, it is a good idea to look back at 2018, then use those numbers for the first three months until you have a 2019 sample size. So I decided to take a look at the Year End Top 20 vs 2018 WTA winners and extrapolate the numbers. And those numbers may surprise you. But before I get to them, let's spotlight some winners outside the Top 20 to ride early in the season.
Hacksaws-Most wins vs Top 20
Hsieh
Pavlyuchenkova-6
Buzarnescu-6
Cornet-5
Tsurenko-5
Giorgi-4
These are the women expected to pull the "upset" early in the season. Giorgi is the one expected to be Top 20 at one point this year. Also note that where the winning percentage for Top 20 vs winners should be 50% and up, while for those outside of it, 33% is good.
Whipping Posts-Most losses
Pavlyuchenkova-10
Buzarnescu-9
Giorgi-9
Cornet-9
Tsurenko-7
Van Uytvanck-7
Not as bad as it looks. Just means that some of them didn't close when they had the chance. Pavs going 6-10 is good, so is Tsurenko going 5-7. Keep reading and the numbers will make more sense. Also the reason why you are getting the runners up before the main event.
Chum-Bad winning pct or no wins
Babos 0-6
Kuznetsova 1-5
Krunic 2-6
Parmientier 1-5
Larsson 0-3
Schmiedlova 0-2
These are the women to avoid, especially when coming up against a seed. Shouldn't be surprised about Babos, as she has had numerous losing streaks in singles the last two years.
Quiz Time!
In 1983, Martina Navratilova famously went 86-1. How many wins did she have against the YE Top 20?
1.(A)13
2.(B)23
3.(C)33
4.(D)43
Interlude-Top 20 post below, plus Up/Down side with Brisbane as Premier.
Answer-I won't draw this one out too long, but (B)23 is wrong, because that is how many Svitolina won last year(2018), and she led the field.
Stunningly, (D)43 is the correct number as Navratilova beat at least one YE Top 20 in every tournament she played, except the French, where she lost to Kathy Horvath, who finished 16th.
Top 20 vs Winners- First the number, the the commentary to unpack them.
23-11 Svitolina
20-9 Kasatkina
19-7 Halep
19-15 Sabalenka
17-12 Kerber
16-12 Wozniacki
16-13 Bertens
15-9 Kvitova
15-12 Sevastova
15-13 Goerges
15-15 Barty
14-9 Stephens
12-10 Keys
11-13 Pliskova
11-14 Muguruza
10-12 Garcia
9-11 Mertens
8-14 Wang
8-14 Osaka
7-4 Williams
1.Svitolina- The big dog projects as a slam winner this year. Beat everybody in the Top 13 except Sevastova.
2.Kasatkina-Won last 6, projects as first time slam SF
3.Halep- Health will decide if the dominant one comes back
4.Sabalenka- Projects as first time slam QF at the very least.
5.Kerber- Starting off 2019 at Hopman Cup, just like 2018. Will it yield the same results?
6.Wozniacki- Not expected to repeat at AO, as Seles was the last non Williams to.
7.Bertens- Needs to get out the starting blocks well.
8.Kvitova- Lost 6 of last 7, biggest wild card in group.
9.Sevastova- Will she be the highest ranking Latvian for all of 2019?
10.Goerges- For a supposed journeywoman, her numbers solidly show her as a threat for another slam QF or SF.
11.Barty- Bigger slam threat in doubles, but not too shabby in singles.
12.Stephens- Unlike Kvitova, who beat Goerges 3 times, Sloane got her 14 wins against 14 different women.
13.Keys- The fact that she had a winning record is a plus. Along with Serena, the only one not playing a WTA event before AO, though Serena is playing Hopman Cup.
14.Pliskova- Losing record belies her talent. Still a slam SF threat.
15.Muguruza- The red flag, is that unlike some of the others like Halep, whose loss to Hsieh was the only of her 7 outside the Top 20, Muguruza had 6.
16.Garcia- Only lost to 6 women, as she lost to one woman 3 times, and 4 others twice.
17.Mertens- Lost her last 4. Expected to take a step back.
18.Wang- Bad record has a silver lining. Her being 18th on this list is something she hasn't done in the rankings yet. Reaching 20th the last ranking of the year, she is the only person on the list that wasn't in the Top 15 at one point in 2018. Plus of her 8 wins, Kuznetsova is the only non Top 20 one.
19.Osaka- Surprised? Her numbers mean two things. One is that although she still projects as a slam winner this year, she will technically also take a step back. Because even if she changes 8-14 to 14-14, she will have many more byes this year. She will have more marquee matches early, and in theory end up playing less. So expect 3-4 great tournaments, but some 2nd rd losses/first match played as she lost her last 4.
20.Williams- Note the won/loss percentage. Even in a year where she was part time, still brought it. The only woman on the list to play less than 10 tournaments(7). If like me, you assumed that Keys was next lowest, nope. She played 16, but due to injury, Halep only played 15.
5 On the Up Side.
1.Svitolina- YEC winner tries to repeat at Brisbane. Wozniacki went from YEC to Auckland F to AO winner. Svitolina trying to emulate with Brisbane instead.
2.Pavlyuchenkova- Shenzen pick as she projects as someone who can get big wins early.
3.Kenin- Auckland pick, although all of the kids-Kenin, Anisimova, Kuzmova, Zidansek are in the same section. Along with Swiatek, they are going to scorch the earth.
4.V.Williams- Just because it is nice to see her again. 6th year in a row that she has played a warmup event before AO.
5.Puig- One of her career finals has been in Australia, the type of hitter that can hit through the heat.
5 On the Down Side.
1.Broady- Mercifully made AO qualies. 4-13 since Kurume, Japan, she is getting passed in British tennis by Harriet Dart and the Katiedoos. If you don't get the joke, it is a takeoff on the comedy troupe the Katydids, of which the six members are named Caitlin, Kate, Katie, Katy, Cate and Kathryn. The Katiedoos are Katie Boulter, Katie Swan, and Katy Dunne.
2.Yastremska- Expected to have a good year. Only on this list because she retired down 5-1 again. Like Bouchard with the non handshake, creating drama where there shouldn't be any.
3.Buzarnescu-Only on until she wins, since she hasn't since the ankle injury. That means a 4 match losing streak, and that she may turn out to be the WTA version of the NHL's Jonathan Cheechoo, the most unlikely 56 goal scorer ever. He never came close again. Will Buzzy come close to the fore that got her to #15 in the race?
4.Kuznetsova- Her instagram post comfirmed that she is out for the whole Aussie swing, so after plying in the AO 16 straight times, she will miss her 2nd in a row. Now having missed 3 of 4 slams in her career, will she be back in time to play the one she hasn't? Going for 17 in a row at the French.
5.Dolehide- Still like her game, but like my weather, has been ice cold. 1-8 streak that is so bad, she hasn't had a WTA MD win since Roland Garros.
And Krunic is already off to a bad start this season, too. As the #1 seed in Brisbane qualifying, losing to McHale love & 3. She's been really off since winning that title last summer. :(
I've already wondered if I've undershot Buzarnescu by a good bit in the predictions for the year. But the injury history led me slightly off that trail, I think. :\
Quiz: I got excited there for a second when you started with "B/23" since that was my pick... buuuut no. Really interesting that Martina faced/beat a Top 20 in all but one event. I can't imagine that sort of percentage would hold up too often these days, simply because of how the Top 20 players are spread out in different events on the schedule, not to mention not getting to the latter stages of a draw.
With all the numbers saying she will, if Svitolina *doesn't* have that slam breakthrough this season... well, let's cross that brid-, err, canyon when/if we come across it in '19.
I should have thought about a date/stretch where Ostapenko might (or might not) finally pass Sevastova in the rankings. Hmmm.
The Katiedoos! :)
Well, at least Yastremska didn't wait to retire at MP down like she did in that match last year, I guess. :\
And Dart just destroyed Dolehide in Brisbane qualifying, too.
Re:Martina- I probably have to look at Serena's 70+ win season since that was so recent and see how that compares.
Hsieh had 6 wins, just in case that wasn't clear.
With this being the only week to affect AO seeding, might as well mention it. Halep and Kerber are locked into Top 4 slots, Wozniacki needs a win or two to do so. However, Svitolina drops to 6 with her Brisbane points off, so Osaka and Stephens have the first crack at the 4th quarter.
Either Bertens or Pliskova will be 8.
Goerges loses her Auckland points and drops to 18, and is the only person who could bump Keys from 16.
Buzarnescu's loss keeps the 24 spot in play. Tsurenko or the longshot Vekic could make it.
Finally, the last 4 in are Sharapova, Martic, Vekic, and Strycova. Ones with a chance to still make it are #33 Gavrilova, Collins, Siniakova, Konta, Sasnovich, and V.Williams.
Pavlyuchenkova is so far back, that even if she wins, 33 seems to be as high as she could get.
Since Serena wouldn't likely have played a lot of smaller events (hence, a Top 20 player always reaching the latter stages), she might be the only one where it was even possible.
1st Round notes: Ouch, Dasha K. (L to Birrell), good comeback from Sabalenka vs. Maria, Sharapova over Bacsinszky, Riske over Q.Wang and Jorovic over Garcia. Also, a healthy (for now) Andreescu qualifies in Auckland (vs. Babos 1r).
Oh, and Serena and Federer coming up soon in a MX match at Hopman Cup. (!!)
I got curious, and 2013 Serena had 37. She won 11 title that season, in which she went 76-4, 78 counting Fed Cup. And you were prescient about her not playing lower level events. One of the rare non big titles she won was Bastad that season, in which she didn't beat any YE Top 20.
Andreescu trying to prove me wrong :)
Season coming in like a lion. Trying not to overreact to early results, but 43% serve, 10 winners, 35 errors for Ostapenko worse than expected.
Buzarnescu was off, but not as bad as her similar to Ostapenko scoreline.
Stephens' loss means either Osaka or Svitolina will be the AO #4 seed.
Bertens/Pliskova #8 still in doubt.
Goerges/Keys #16 still in doubt.
Buzarnescu/Tsurenko/Vekic #24 still in doubt.
29-32 cut down-Sharapova, Martic, Vekic, Strycova in. Alive for seeds-Konta, Sasnovich, V.Williams.
Apparently that was Andreescu's first tour-level MD win since Sept. '17. (!!)
Of course, Andreescu's lingering issue still lurks. She *was* treated after the 1st set for a left hip/back issue that she's had, she said, for a few months. She never has any sort of *major* injury, but there's always an "issue" or a "pull" that prevents her from taking her good results and picking up any real momentum.
Hopefully, however she finishes up in Auckland (either Wozniacki or Siegemund, her final qualifying opponent, is next) as long as she's not retiring from a match or literally limping on down the road (sporting her customary on-court accessory -- a thigh wrap) it'll be a good thing. ;)
Oh, Alona.
Meanwhile, Kudermetova off to a really good start in Shenzhen (qualified def. Kovinic & Blinkova, MD over Begu and Pavlyuchenkova), setting up an all-Hordette, multi-generational QF vs. Zvonareva.
Also, Venus over Vika.
Of course, Ostapenko will probably be glad not to have to face someone like Niculescu in her *second* match of 2019. :\
I admit that I enjoy Niculescu just confounding people.
Have been impressed with the Hopman Cup losers in Sakkari and Bencic. Plus Serena is ahead of schedule.
Some cleanup- With Svitolina's loss, Wozniacki/Osaka locked into 3-4 seeds at AO, which means that Osaka avoids Kerber until SF.
Pliskova gets 8 with Bertens loss.
Goerges/Keys still up in the air for 16.
Buzarnescu/Tsurenko/Vekic still alive for 24.
Last 4 in are still Sharapova, Vekic, Martic, Strycova, but with Vekic passing Martic, she will now be no worse than 32. Sasnovich and Venus still alive.
So, and now all *nine* of Kontaveit's career Top 10 wins have come vs. former slam winners. ;)
Feeling better every day that I got on the Kontaveit team long ago :D
Annnd... The Pride of Mississauga prevails again in Auckland. ;)
(Thanks, Colt.) :P
Impressive performance. Both she and Caro had MTO moments, but Andreescu out-hit her all night, handled pressure well (coming back to hold serve many times) and used her power and aggression to keep Wozniacki off balance (caught her leaning the wrong way on multiple occasions, a rarity for the Dane).
Now, after facing a player ten years her senior, the Canadian gets one *20* years older (Venus).
Not the first time I have been humbled, but didn't even make it through week 1. Andreescu is coming up in the right era for her game. Similar to spin doctors Barty and Sevastova, she has a nice blend of power and touch.....if she can stay healthy.
L.Chan making Brisbane SF gets her back up to 20. Still behind Vesnina, who sits at 16.
Think Bacsinszky will retire from singles and become a doubles specialist sometime this year.
Goerges/Keys #16 spot still in doubt.
Tsurenko is now in the 24 spot, meaning that even though she isn't in the form she was last year, possible 3rd rd clash for Buzarnescu/Svitolina.
Vekic can now go no higher than 25.
Sasnovich and Williams still alive for 25-32 section. Sasnovich could go as high as 28, Williams 31. Martic and Strycova on bubble at 31 & 32.
Big "if", though. :\
Speaking of Chan... interesting to see her playing with her sister this week. Don't know if that's a full season thing or just one of the occasional pairings that usually occur. Also, Babos and Mladenovic played with different partners in different events (to equally disappointing results -- Kiki/Voskoboeva lost to the Chans) right before heading off to defend their AO title.
Oh, and missed this the other day... Sharapova might have gotten a Get Out of Jail Free card from Wang Xinyu, who seemed to have her number, though she never had to try to close anything out. Maria had a nice long stretch comforting the teenager after she had to retire.
Sharapova turning into end of career Larry Bird, who avg 36 min a game his final year, but only played 45 of 82.
Last MD WC were given out, Safarova did not get one.
Only seed pod in doubt is 9-16. Goerges needs to win the title to bump Keys.
Martic and Strycova last seeds with Sasnovich's loss, she ends up 33rd.
Canada looking like they may actually have a chance to get a player into the 2nd week. Both Bouchard and that woman who is wearing the same outfit as Sakkari.
Yeah, not exactly the opening week that Maria was looking/hoping for. The injury tide is getting harder and harder to surf, let alone hold back. :(
Now I wish I'd stuck with my original intentions and not at the last minute slightly cut back by season predictions -- Top 50-or-better rather than Top 60ish, tour finalist rather than just semifinalist, maybe slam Round of 16, etc. -- for The Canadian Now Officially Taunting Colt From the Other Side of the Globe. ;)
And now Safarova just announced that a wrist injury will keep her out of the AO entirely. So that closes the books on her career then. :(
I am enjoying Andreescu's run. Either she gets her first title and reaches Top 100, or Goerges defends hers and gets that 9-16 AO bracket.
Does Osuigwe get Fed Cup eligibility for Spain? Pleasantly surprised that a non Aussie stepped in for an ailing Muguruza.
Tsurenko at it again.
Not making a pick this early, but Kerber, S.Williams and Sabalenka have to be the favorites for AO right now.
And she's got her "good friend" -- a thigh wrap -- with her now, too. :)
Of course, as Andreescu will be playing her eighth match in nine days, it's hardly unexpected.
Really interesting press conference from Osaka after her loss, and just as nice Twitter response from Sascha about it...
"For me as a coach hearing this press conference is pure gold. If I wasn’t working with her right now I would die to do it in the future. So proud of Naomi and how far she has come. Stay open minded and all the doors will open by itself for you young warrior! 💪🏽 #TeamNaomi" - Sascha Bajin
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