Sunday, September 24, 2023

Wk.38- Ella Mariachi

Hmmm, maybe next year they're going to need to ban Maria Sakkari from Guadalajara.







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*WEEK 38 CHAMPIONS*
GUADALAJARA, MEXICO (WTA 1000/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Maria Sakkari/GRE def. Caroline Dolehide/USA 7-5/6-3
D: Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens (AUS/BEL) def. Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe (CAN/NZL) 3-6/6-2 [10-4]
GUANGZHOU, CHINA (WTA 250/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Wang Xiyu/CHN def. Magda Linette/POL 6-0/6-2
D: Guo Hanyu/Jiang Xinyu (CHN/CHN) def. Eri Hozumi/Makoto Ninomiya (JPN/JPN) 6-3/7-6(4)
PARMA, ITALY (WTA 125/Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Ana Bogdan/ROU def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova/SVK 7-5/6-1
D: Dalila Jakupovic/Irina Khromacheva (SLO/RUS) def. Anna Bondar/Kimberley Zimmermann (HUN/GER) 6-2/6-3




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Maria Sakkari/GRE
...after flopping around and coming up short on so many occasions in '23, it turned out that Sakkari was simply waiting for Guadalajara to come around on the WTA calendar yet again to spruce up her season ledger. A year after reaching the final of the Mexico event (a 2 & 3 loss to Jessie Pegula), Sakkari did one batter and won the whole thing this time around, not dropping a set all week while claiming her first tour title since 2019 (Rabat 250) to end her six-match losing streak in singles finals.

Sakkari's run to the final included wins over Storm Hunter, Camila Giorgi, Emiliana Arango and Caroline Garcia. In her third career 1000 final ('21 I.W. & '22 Guad. - in which she won 10 *total* games combined), Sakkari continued her mastery of the event, defeating first-time Cinderella finalist Caroline Dolehide 7-5/6-3 to become the ninth different 1000/slam winner (in 12 events) on tour this season.

The average ranking of Sakkari's string of opponents en route to a *1000* title? #103. #126 if you exclude #11 Garcia.

With her Top 10 ranking finally having been in jeopardy, Sakkari will now *climb* three spots to #6. Now at 105 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 (behind only #1 Sabalenka's 149), it looks like the Greek (and coach Tom Hill) will continued to be around awhile (she might even recoup most if not all of her '22 WTAF points).


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RISERS: Caroline Dolehide/USA and Ana Bogdan/ROU
...Dolehide has been an intriguing big hitter for a while now, but before this past week all the Bannerette really had to show for it was one slam MD win (in her debut at the '18 RG), two in a 1000 event (in her debut in I.W. in '18), six ITF titles (the last in 2019), four Top 100 wins and some moderate doubles success. So her high altitude run in Guadalajara, where she stunningly avoided early elimination and played all the way into the final, will either serve as a massive abberation or the pivot point on which a "new" career begins at age 25.

Ranked #111, Dolehide's week included her first-ever five-match WTA winning streak, and four wins over players ranked in the Top 54 (one in the Top 20) as she became just the second player ranked outside the Top 100 (the other was Svetlana Kuznetsova, whose ranking was injury-influenced) to reach a 1000 final.



Dolehide opened with a three-TB "warm-up" vs. Peyton Stearns, then another three-setter against Sachia Vickery. After a win over Ekaterina Alexandrova, she saved four MP vs. Martina Trevisan to reach her maiden tour SF, then handled San Diego finalist Sofia Kenin (Dolehide had lost in the Q1 last week) in straights to reach her first tour final. After pushing Maria Sakkari in a 7-5 opening set, Dolehide's run ran out in a 6-3 2nd.

Dolehide also reached the doubles semis with Asia Muhammad, falling to eventual champs Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens.

After having a career high ranking of #99, Dolehide climbs a huge 69 spots to #42 (she'd been *Top 30* with the title, and the new US #4) in singles on Monday, and goes up 9 to #38 in doubles (where she's been as high as #21).



In Parma, Bogdan picked up her second WTA 125 crown (w/ Iasi) since coming up short in that 20-18 MTB vs. Lesia Tsurenko at Wimbledon during the summer, ending what had been a 7-3 grass season.

The 30-year old Swarmette started off her week with a win over *last* week's 125 champ Marina Bassols Ribera, then followed up with victories over Katarina Zavatska, Jaqueline Cristian (via a 7-1 deciding TB), Anna Bondar and Anna Karolina Schmiedlova in a 7-5/6-1 final.

Bogdan reached her career high of #39 in July, but had slipped to #71 heading into the week after stumbling through a 1-5 stretch prior to Parma. She'll climb back to #61 on Monday.


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SURPRISES: Guo Hanyu/Jiang Xinyu, CHN/CHN and Martina Trevisan/ITA
...Guo & Jiang combined to become the home doubles winners in Guangzhou, the first tour-level event held in China in more than three and a half years (January '20).



The winners of a $25K challenger in June, Guo/Jiang were wild card entrants in the MD, and after winning a 15-13 MTB to claim a SF over Anna-Lena Friedsam/Nadiia Kichenok, the duo took out #2-seeded Eri Hozumi/Makoto Ninomiya 6-3/7-6(4) in the final. Guo wins her maiden tour title in her first WTA final, while Jiang improves to 3-0 in finals in her tour career.

Back in 2017, Jiang (at age 17) and Tang Qianhui (16) teamed to win their maiden WTA titles in their tour debut appearance in Nanchang, then returned a year later and defended the title.



In Guadalajara, Trevison posted her second 1000 QF (w/ Miami) of the season. The 2022 Roland Garros semifinalist recorded just one win in slam play in '23, but her three this past week increase her 1000 win total to 10 on the year.

After likely doing a double-take when she saw her opening round *singles* opponent (Demi Schuurs), Trevisan knocked off Jasmine Paolini and #1 seed Ons Jabeur, and could have posted her first career 1000 SF had she been able to convert any of four MP vs. eventual finalist Caroline Dolehide.

Still, the result pushes Trevisan back into the Top 50, as she goes from #54 to #41, just four spots behind ITA #2 Paolini.
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VETERANS: Magda Linette/POL and Yulia Putintseva/KAZ
...Linette burst into the '23 season back in January, going 10-3 with Poland's United Cup SF, her own at the Australian Open and a Merida QF. Heading into Week 38, though, the *first* Pole to reach a slam semi this season had gone 11-18 since, putting her at 21-21.

Guangzhou provided Linette with a lifeline, as she strung together wins over Jodie Burrage, Dasha Saville, Rebeka Masarova and Yulia Putintseva to reach her sixth career WTA final. She recorded just two games against Wang Xiyu, but her 4-win week still pushes Linette back over .500 (25-22) as she inches back into the Top 25 on Monday.



Linette's semifinal opponent in Guangzhou, Putintseva followed up her first-time career WTA doubles final last week (in Osaka) with her first tour singles SF since Budapest last season. Ranked #81, the 28-year old Kazakh posted wins over Clara Tauson (who retired w/ heat exhaustion in the 3rd set) and Tatjana Maria (love 3rd) before falling to Linette.



Putintseva's week will lift her a handful of rankings spots from #81 to #73, but unless she posts even biggest results down the 4Q stretch she'll still end '23 with her worst season-ending finish since 2015 (when she was #74). Putintseva has had two #50+ seasons (#53 in '17, #51 in'22) since that year, with the other five being between #28-45.
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COMEBACKS: Sofia Kenin/USA and Caroline Garcia/FRA
...in Guadalajara, there was no rest for the Last Straw, as Kenin followed up her San Diego final with a semifinal that will push her up 22 more spots in the rankings to almost the Top 30 (#31). Suddenly, the fourth-ranked Bannerette behind Gauff, Pegula and Keys is none other than your 2020 Australian Open champ.

Kenin put up wins on the week over Carol Zhao, Anhelina Kalinina, Alona Ostapenko and Leylah Fernandez before falling to Caroline Dolehide, improving to 14-4 since the start of Wimbledon qualifying.



Meanwhile, just when a dose of sanity was returned to the Top 10 with Barbora Krejcikova's San Diego title *finally* pushing Garcia down to #11, darned if the Pastry didn't bounce back like a superball in Guadalajara and put on a semifinal run that will lift her *back* into the Top 10 on Monday. Here we go again?

Of course, Garcia had to save five MP in her opening match vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, before posting additional wins over Hailey Baptiste and Victoria Azarenka, in order to manage the nearly impossible, successfully punking the Tennis Gods (at least for a bit).

Once in the SF (her first since March), Garcia managed just three games vs. Maria Sakkari (who'd been 1-5 in '23 SF coming in).
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FRESH FACES: Wang Xiyu/CHN and Emiliana Arango/COL
...through 2023 we've seen the long-expected rise of many of the tour's young Chinese players, with Zheng Qinwen winning her maiden tour singles title and reaching the U.S. Open QF, and Wang Xinyu winning the RG doubles and reaching the second week in singles at Flushing Meadows. This week in Guangzhou, Wang Xiyu joined the festivities.

The 22-year year old joined Zheng as a first-time WTA singles champion, posting wins over Nadia Podoroska, Diana Shnaider, Viktoria Hruncakova (another LL in a tour QF), Greet Minnen and Magda Linette in a 6-0/6-2 final in Wang's maiden tour-level championship match.

Already in '23 with 1000-level MD wins in four different events and the U.S. Open, as well as being a $100K finalist, Wang jumps 30 spots in the rankings to #58. She was at a career-best #49 in January.



Arango has been popping her head up with some nice weeks throughout 2023, but nothing compares to what she did in Guadalajara.

The 22-year old world #180, who'd never played a MD match at a 1000 event, opened with her first career Top 30 win over Anastasia Potapova, then backed it up with victories over Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend to make her (not COL #1 Camila Osorio) the first Colombian to reach a 1000 QF. [Note: in the previous tour event format, Fabiola Zuluaga's QF run in Tier I Berlin in 2004 was the most recent equivalent result.]

Arango -- who really should team with Diana Shnaider some day in doubles to create the most unique headwear combo in tour history -- lost to eventual champ Maria Sakkari, but will shoot up 60 spots in the rankings to #120 on Monday.


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DOWN: Linda Fruhvirtova/CZE
...Fruhvirtova was christened as the first of the Crushers to win a tour singles title last September in Chennai, and she started '23 by reaching the Round of 16 at the Australian Open during what was a 6-4 start to the season as she climbed into the Top 50. Things haven't gone nearly as well since, as she's only picked up six additional wins in the past nearly seven months.

Fruhvirtova lost in the 1st Round at each of the final three slams of this year, and her 1st Round loss in Guangzhou to Clara Tauson was her ninth straight defeat, her tenth in eleven matches dating back to a QF loss to Barbora Krejcikova in Birmingham. The 18-year old is now just 12-22 on the season, and has slipped to #117 (CZE #9) in the rankings, behind fellow teen Crusher Linda Noskova (#44, CZE #7, 0-2 in '23 WTA finals) in the national rankings.
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ITF PLAYER: Petra Marcinko/CRO
...the 17-year old Croat improved to 6-0 in career ITF finals, picking up her third $60K+ crown in less than a year with a win in the $60K challenger in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.

Marcinko didn't drop a set, finishing off her week with straight sets wins over Alina Korneeva (SF, in a match-up of the last two AO girls' champs) and Leolia Jeanjean (6-4/6-1 final) to get the result that will see the '22 AO junior winner crack the Top 150 for the first time.


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JUNIOR STAR: Maya Joint/AUS
...the Joint was jumpin' in Houston. As in Maya Joint.

The 17-year old Aussie, a Texas tennis recruit for the '24 NCAA season, claimed her biggest career junior crown at the Pan American Regional Championships (J300), reaching the final without dropping a set (def. Aspen Schuman in the SF) and then outdistancing top-seeded U.S. girl Tyra Caterina Grant 1-6/7-6(5)/6-4 in the final.

The #48-ranked girl, Joint also won the doubles alongside Bannerette Ariana Pursoo.


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DOUBLES: Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens, AUS/BEL
...in Guadalajara, Hunter/Mertens added another big result to their '23 ledger sheet with a second 1000 title to go along with their win in Rome (they also reached SF in Montreal and Cincinnati, and the Wimbledon final). After dropping no sets en route to the final, they won a 10-4 MTB for the title over U.S. Open champs Gaby Dabrowski & Erin Routliffe.

Hunter picks up her sixth career WTA title (and second straight in Guadalajara, after winning last year w/ Stefani), and Mertens her eighteenth. On Monday, we'll have a fourth different doubles #1 in the past three weeks as Elise Mertens reclaims the top spot (after holding it for 13 weeks in '21, and 10 in '22) from Katerina Siniakova.


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1. Guadalajara 1st Rd. - Caroline Dolehide def. Peyton Stearns
...6-7(1)/7-6(5)/7-6(2). Dolehide's dream week got off to an appropriately nutty start, as she battled Stearns over three TB in the Bannerette's first outing since her U.S. Open 4th Round run.

Stearns rallied from 3-1 back in the opening set, serving at 5-4 before ultimately dominating a 7-1 TB. Dolehide held her 3-1 lead in the 2nd, but only after staging a comeback from 5-4 down in the TB. Stearns grabbed the 3-1 lead in the decider, with Dolehide rallying to force and win a TB to end the three-hour affair.



Guadalajara QF - Caroline Dolehide def. Martina Trevisan
...3-6/7-6(9)/6-3. The Stearns win was just a warm-up for this one over Trevisan, as Dolehide trailed 6-3/4-1 and faced down a love/40 deficit on serve while down 6-5. She saved three MP in the game, winning five straight points to get the hold. In the TB, Dolehide led 6-4, but saw Trevisan reach a fourth MP at 9-8. Dolehide wasn't to be stopped, though, as she swept the final three points to win 11-9 in 2:47 to reach her maiden WTA semi.


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2. Guadalajara Final - Maria Sakkari def. Caroline Dolehide
...7-5/6-3. In her second straight Guadalajara final, Sakkari claims her first tour title since 2019 in Rabat to not only secure her slipping Top 10 ranking (she'll climb to #6) but put herself in legit contention for a return to the WTAF (back in Mexico in Cancun) as she rises to #9 in the Points Race. She reached the WTAF semis last year in Fort Worth.


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3. Guangzhou Final - Wang Xiyu def. Magda Linette 6-0/6-2
Guangzhou Final - Guo Hanyu/Jiang Xinyu def. Eri Hozumi/Makota Ninomiya 6-3/7-6(4)
...the first tour-level event held in China since the pre-pandemic (and Peng controversy/disappearance) Shenzhen event in January 2020 saw the home players pull off a sweep of the title, with both Wang and Guo lifting WTA titles for the first time in their careers and Jiang for the first time since back-to-back WD win in Jiangxi in 2017-18.


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4. Guangzhou 2nd Rd. - Rebeka Masarova def. Viktorija Golubic
...6-1/3-6/7-6(7). Swiss-born Masarova reaches her third tour QF of the season (second since her Auckland final in Week 1) after saving 5 MP vs. the Swiss vet.

Golubic led 5-3, 15/40 in the 3rd, holding three MP before the Spaniard held. Golubic reached deuce on her own serve at 5-4, but was broken, then had a BP on Masarova's at 5-all. In the deciding TB, Golubic held two more MP (at 6-5 and 7-6) before Masarova surged through the finish line with a 9-7 win.


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5. Guadalajara 2nd Rd. - Caroline Garcia def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich
...4-6/7-6(5)/6-4. Garcia improves to 6-0 vs. Sasnovich, but has to escape from being down 6-4/6-5, saving two MP, to do it.


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6. Guadalajara SF - Maria Sakkari def. Caroline Garcia
...6-3/6-0. And the winner in the Slightly More Deserving Top 10er Bowl is... Sakkari.

Of course, Garcia *also* climbs back into the Top 10 with this result, knocking San Diego champ Barbora Krejcikova out after just one return week.


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7. Parma 125 QF - Ana Bogdan def. Jaqueline Cristian
...4-6/6-1/7-6(1). Bogdan's title run included an escape in the QF vs. countrywoman Cristian after nearly wasting a 5-3 3rd set lead. Cristian took an on-serve lead at 6-5, and led love/30 on Bogdan's serve in a two-deuce game before the Romanian held to force the deciding TB. She dominated it in a 7-1 win.
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8. Guangzhou 2nd Rd. - Yulia Putintseva def. Clara Tauson
...3-6/7-6(5)/0-0 (40/15). The Dane has had a good comeback campaign after weathering injury and financial issues, posting MD wins in '23 at RG/US and winning a $60K title while climbing back into the Top 100. In Guangzhou, though, the #76-ranked Tauson (at her highest standing since last September) was forced to retire early in the 3rd set after suffering a heat emergency while serving in the opening game.


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9. Guangzhou 2nd Rd. - Greet Minnen def. Harriet Dart
...7-6(7)/6-7(5)/6-4. Minnen goes 3:14 to corral a win over Dart (which was followed by another three-setter over Lucia Bronzetti), part of the Waffle's first SF run of '23 (second career w/ '21 Prague) that will lift her to a new career high of #63.


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10. Guadalajara 1st Rd. - Magdalena Frech def. Camilo Osorio 6-1/6-1
Guadalajara 1st Rd. - Emiliano Arango def. Anastasia Potapova 6-4/6-3
...Arango's historic week in Guadalajara gets off to a big start, while Colombian #1 Osorio's run amounted to a cameo appearance.


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11. Guadalajara 2nd Rd. - Emma Navarro def. Madison Keys
...6-2/7-6(5). Navarro posts her best career 1000 result (3r) in her debut appearance in Guadalajara.


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12. Parma 2nd Rd. - Kaja Juvan def. Chloe Paquet 3-6/6-4/6-1
Parma QF - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova def. Kaja Juvan 6-1/6-7(4)/6-4
...Kaja giveth, and Kaja taketh.

Juvan rallied from 6-3/3-1 to defeat Paquet, but couldn't stage a similar comeback vs. AKS. Schmiedlova led 6-1/5-3, but Juvan forced a 3rd set. The set saw seven consecutive breaks of serve through games 3-9, with AKS finally pulling away late.
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13. $40K Pazardzhik BUL Final - Maria Carle def. Cagla Buyukakcay
...6-1/6-2. The Argentine wins her 12th career ITF title (3 in '23), improving to 12-1 in her last 13 finals dating back to September 2017.

Buyukakcay, in her biggest final in four years, had been seeking her biggest singles title since winning her lone WTA title in Istanbul in 2016.
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14. $25K Perth AUS Final - Taylah Preston def. Talia Gibson
...7-5/6-1. 17-year old Preston wins the battle of Aussie teens over Gibson (19), claiming her second pro title. The two teamed to reach the doubles final, but lost to Destanee Aiava & Maddison Inglis.


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15. Guadalajara Q1 - Demi Schuurs def. Isabella Shinikova 6-4/6-2
...doubles specialist Schuurs makes her '23 singles debut, winning two qualifying matches (w/ another win over Elvina Kalieva) and reaching the very first tour-level singles MD of her career. This was her first singles match win on any level since 2015.



Guadalajara 1st Rd. - Martina Trevisan def. Demi Schuurs 6-2/6-0
...Schuurs remains winless in any MD since 2014, her last year as a full-time singles player. She went 33-18 that season, winning one challenger title and reaching two other semis.
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HM- Guadalajara 1st Rd. - Cristina Bucsa def. Kristina Mladenovic
...6-0/6-0. Gulp. At this point, maybe Mladenovic should take a cue from Schuurs' career?

Of her 16 singles match wins in '23, 13 have come in challenger events (her three WTA wins came in qualifying in the first two months of the year). She had a 12-match losing streak during the spring/summer, yet she's continued to play on in ITF events (13) while seemingly leaving a whole lot of money/success on the table if she'd just embrace her doubles side more fully.

Playing with a slew of partners because of her crazy schedule (rather than a regular one if she was a full-time WD player w/ an appropriate ranking), the Pastry has gone just 15-12 (w/ three events ended via walkovers due to an injury to herself or her partner). She teamed with Mattek-Sands in Guadalajara, losing in the 2nd Round to Hunter/Mertens, in her first WD action since early August.

After three consecutive Top 3 WD season-ending rankings (and 4 in 5), Mladenovic came into the week at #56 after opening the year at a (still low, for her), #17.


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1. Guadalajara 2nd Rd. - Hailey Baptiste def. Karolina Pliskova
...7-6(5)/5-7/7-6(4). Pliskova has a new nemesis, as Baptiste posts her second win over the Czech this year (after winning in Washington) in their only two meetings.

Pliskova served for the 1st set at 5-4, but ultimately dropped a TB. The Czech then rallied from 5-3 down (Baptiste served at 5-4) to force a deciding 3rd. There, Pliskova ran off five straight games to lead 5-2, served at 5-3 and held a MP but couldn't close it out. She got to deuce twice on Baptiste's serve when leading 6-5, but the Bannerette got the hold and won a another TB to get the victory.

After going 21-21 in 2022, Pliskova stands just slightly better this year (for now) at 22-19.


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2. Parma 125 Final - Ana Bogdan def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova
...7-5/6-1. Schmiedlova comes up short, but her appearance in the final extends into the 4Q what has been an impressive comeback season that has seen the Slovak post her best career slam result (RG 4r), reach her biggest final in two years (125 Belgrade; her last tour level final was Hobart '19) and now climb to her highest ranking ranking since August 2016. AKS will be at #57 on Monday.
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3. Guadalajara 2nd Rd. - Veronika Kudermetova def. Genie Bouchard
...6-2/6-7(4)/6-4. Kudermetova ends a three-match losing streak after having been 1-4 on North American hard courts this summer, getting a late break to regain the lead after having lost an early 3-1 advantage in the 3rd.
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HM- $60K Caldas da Rainha POR Final - Francisca Jorge/Matilde Jorge def. Ashley Lahey/Tian Fangran
...6-1/2-6 [10-7]. The Portuguese sisters win their 13th ITF title (5th in '23) as a pair.
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Meanwhile, the WTA is getting on Elena Rybakina's last nerve...




One of the more soft-spoken players on tour, Rybakina is clearly fed up with being fed up with decisions made by the tour (starting with receiving zero points for winning Wimbledon last year and living with the consequences of that in draws for 12 months afterward, and including being scheduled into the ground in Montreal prior to this year's Open). Once again, she has a point here. Though ranked/seeded higher, she doesn't get the 1st Round bye next week, but Sakkari does since she was in the Guadalajara final. At least that makes *some* sense. But Garcia also gets an opening round pass, despite being just a semifinalist who wrapped up her week on Friday, more than enough time to make the trip overseas.

Hmmm, here's a thought. Maybe don't schedule big international events on consecutive weeks without a mid-week start at the second tournament. A player works all year to achieve the ranking that allows for 1st Round byes, then gets it snatched away because two players who didn't really fully deserve (or barely did) their rankings (and resulting high seeds) when the draw was made managed to pull a rabbit out of their hat at the eleventh hour while trying to play catch in the points race after having a subpar season.

Take a flame-thrower to the whole place, Elena.

Meanwhile, after the Asian swing everyone will be *back* in Mexico for the WTAF.



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Just don't "pull a Bouchard," because we know you're *capable* of it.




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All right, we have our Commercial of the Year...










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Well... hold on there, Barbora.





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*2023 WTA TITLES w/o LOSING A SET*
2 - Iga Swiatek (Doha/Warsaw)
2 - Coco Gauff (Auckland/Washington)
1 - Aryna Sabalenka (Adelaide)
1 - Lauren Davis (Hobart)
1 - Ons Jabeur (Charleston)
1 - Katie Boulter (Nottingham)
1 - Petra Kvitova (Berlin)
1 - Madison Keys (Eastbourne)
1 - MARIA SAKKARI (Guadalajara)

*2023 LOW-RANKED WTA CHAMPIONS*
#508 - Elina Svitolina (Strasbourg)
#246 - Maria Timofeeva (Budapest)
#136 - Nao Hibino (Prague)
#126 - Katie Boulter (Nottingham)
#123 - Ashlyn Krueger (Osaka)
#102 - Lucia Bronzetti (Rabat)
#95 - Sara Sorribes Tormo (Cleveland)
#88 - WANG XIYU (Guangzhou)
#84 - Lauren Davis (Hobart)
#79 - Alycia Parks (Lyon)

*2023 FIRST-TIME WTA CHAMPIONS*
Zhu Lin, CHN - Hua Hin (29/#54)
Alycia Parks, USA - Lyon (22/#79)
Marta Kostyuk, UKR - Austin (20/#52)
Lucia Bronzetti, ITA - Rabat (24/#102)
Katie Boulter, GBR - Nottingham (26/#126)
Maria Timofeeva, RUS - Budapest (19/#246)
Zheng Qinwen, CHN - Palermo (20/#26)
Arantxa Rus, NED - Hamburg (32/#60)
Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA - Lausanne (22/#42)
Ashlyn Krueger, USA - Osaka (19/#123)
Wang Xiyu, CHN - Guangzhou (22/#88)
[first-time finalists]
Linda Noskova, CZE (#102/18 = Adelaide 1)
Rebeka Masarova, ESP (#130/23 = Auckland)
Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA (#67/21 = Hobart)
Alycia Parks, USA (#79/22 = Lyon)-W
Zhu Lin, CHN (#54/29 - Hua Hin)-W
Varvara Gracheva, RUS (#88/22 - Austin)
Marta Kostyuk, UKR (#52/20 - Austin)-W
Peyton Stearns, USA (#116/21 - Bogota)
Lucia Bronzetti, ITA (#102/24 - Rabat)-W
Julia Grabher, AUT (#74/26 - Rabat)
Jodie Burrage, GBR (#131/24 - Nottingham)
Katie Boulter, GBR (#126/26 - Nottingham)
Maria Timofeeva, RUS (#246/19 - Budapest)
Noma Noha Akugue, GER (#207/19 - Hamburg)
Arantxa Rus, NED (#60/32 - Hamburg)
Ashlyn Krueger, USA (#123/19 - Osaka)-W
Wang Xiyu, CHN (#88/22 - Guangzhou)-W
Caroline Dolehide, USA (#111/25 - Guadalajara)

*2023 FIRST-TIME WTA SEMIFINALISTS*
Auckland: Ysaline Bonaventure, BEL (28/#95)
Lyon: Alycia Parks, USA (22/#79)-W
Austin: Katie Volynets, USA (21/#92)
Bogota: Peyton Stearns, USA (21/#116)-RU
Bogota: Francesca Jones, GBR (22/#817)
Rabat: Julia Grabher, AUT (26/#74)-RU
Rabat: Julia Riera, ARG (20/#195)
Nottingham: Katie Boulter, GBR (26/#126)-W
Nottingham: Jodie Burrage, GBR (24/#131)-RU
Bad Homburg: Emma Navarro, USA (22/#60)
Budapest: Maria Timofeeva, RUS (19/#246)-W
Hamburg: Noma Noha Akugue, GER (19/#208)
Hamburg: Diana Shnaider, RUS (19/#101)
Osaka: Ashlyn Krueger, USA (19/#123)-W
Osaka: Mai Hontama, JPN (24/#176)
Guadalajara: Caroline Dolehide, USA (25/#111)

*2023 WTA DOUBLES FINALS*
5 (3-2) = Desirae Krawczyk, USA
5 (3-2) = Katerina Siniakova, CZE
5 (3-2) = Taylor Townsend, USA
5 (2-3) = STORM HUNTER, AUS
5 (0-5) = Nicole Melichar-Martinez, USA
4 (4-0) = Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
4 (2-2) = Shuko Aoyama, JPN
4 (2-2) = Coco Gauff, USA
4 (2-2) = Jessie Pegula, USA
4 (2-2) = Ena Shibahara, JPN
4 (2-2) = Laura Siegemund, GER
4 (0-4) = Ellen Perez, AUS
3 (3-0) = Luisa Stefani, BRA
3 (3-0) = Aldila Sutjiadi, INA
3 (2-1) = ELISE MERTENS, BEL
3 (2-1) = Demi Schuurs, NED
3 (1-2) = Chan Hao-ching, TPE
3 (1-2) = Katarzyna Piter, POL
3 (1-2) = Wang Xinyu, CHN
3 (0-3) = Leylah Fernandez, CAN
3 (0-3) = Giuliana Olmos, MEX
[2023 finals - duos]
4...Gauff/Pegula, USA/USA (2-2)
4...Melichar-Martinez/Perez, USA/AUS (0-4)
3...Aoyama/Shibahara, JPN/JPN (2-1)
3...HUNTER/MERTENS, AUS/BEL (2-1)
3...Krawczyk/Schuurs, USA/NED (2-1)
2...Kato/Sutjiadi, JPN/INA (2-0)
2...Krejickova/Siniakova, CZE/CZE (2-0)
2...DABROWSKI/ROUTLIFFE, CAN/NZL (1-1)
2...Friedsam/N.Kichenok, GER/UKR (1-1)
2...Gamarra Martins/Marozava, BRA/BLR (1-1)
2...Siegemund/Zvonareva, GER/RUS (1-1)
2...Fernandez/Townsend, CAN/USA (0-2)

*MOST CAREER CHINESE WTA TITLES*
9 - Li Na (2004,08,10-14)
4 - Zheng Jie (2005-06,12)
3 - Zhang Shuai (2013,17,22)
2 - Wang Qiang (2018)
2 - Peng Shuai (2016-17)
1 - Duan Yingying (2016)
1 - Sun Tiantian (2006)
1 - WANG XIYU (2023)
1 - Wang Yafan (2019)
1 - Yan Zi (2005)
1 - Zheng Qinwen (2023)
1 - Zheng Saisai (2019)
1 - Zhu Lin (2023)

*2023 SLAM-WTAF/1000 CHAMPIONS*
Australian Open - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Dubai - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE
Indian Wells - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
Miami - Petra Kvitova, CZE
Madrid - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Rome - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
Roland Garros - Iga Swiatek, POL
Wimbledon - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
Canada - Jessie Pegula, USA
Cincinnati - Coco Gauff, USA
US Open -Coco Gauff, USA
Guadalajara - Maria Sakkari, GRE
Beijing - x
WTAF - x
[doubles]
Australian Open - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
Dubai - Veronika Kudermetova/Liudmila Samsonova, RUS/RUS
Indian Wells - Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE/CZE
Miami - Coco Gauff/Jessie Pegula, USA/USA
Madrid - Victoria Azarenka/Beatriz Haddad Maia, BLR/BRA
Rome - Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens, AUS/BEL
Roland Garros - Hsieh Su-wei/Wang Xinyu, TPE/CHN
Wimbledon - Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova, TPE/CZE
Canada - Shuko Aoyama/Ena Shibahara, JPN/JPN
Cincinnati - Alycia Parks/Taylor Townsend, USA/USA
US Open -Gaby Dabrowski/Erin Routliffe, CAN/NZL
Guadalajara - Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens, AUS/BEL
Beijing - x
WTAF - x






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All for now.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 8:25 PM 

9 Comments:

Blogger khan35 said...

Sakkari won a WTA 1000 title with a WTA 250 draw. Is it a blip or does she really overcame her SF\Final mental barrier? Anyway, we can no longer make fun of her as a top 10 ranked player with only 1 WTA 250 title.

"Performance bye" isn't a new thing. WTA used to give "performance bye" to Wuhan SFlists in the following week's Beijing tournament.

Mon Sep 25, 04:32:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

Dolehide's run is one of the more random ones in history. Her and Kenin have now thrown their hats in the ring for BJK Cup consideration.

Stat of the Week- 1- Career finals for Caroline Kuhlman.

The Kuhlman name is recent in tennis, with Caroline's niece Josie having played at Florida from 2014-18, going 117-38 in singles.

However, Josie did not reach the feats of Caroline, who was the ITA National Player of the Year at USC back in 1986. This spurred a split WTA career which went from 1985-86;1990-95.

The 85-86 run was where she reached her career high ranking of 52, while her one final was in 1993 in Auckland. It may not be a career highlight, as she lost to Elna Reinach 6-0, 6-0.

Kuhlman may have not reached the heights her college career predicted, but put her stamp on the tour for some time.

Quiz Time!

Of the 16 players that have been ranked #3, who has the most titles? Multiple answers accepted.

A.Wendy Turnbull
B.Gabriela Sabatini
C.Nathalie Tauziat
D.Hana Mandlikova

Interlude- Autotune?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7uClp4FybA

Answer!

Maria Sakkari won her second title, leaving her the lowest on the list. Surprisingly, none of the active players(Stephens, Sakkari, Pegula, Gauff, Rybakina) have reached double digits, which leads me to (C)Tauziat, who with 8 has the lowest number of titles for a retired #3.

Tauziat, the 1998 Wimbledon runner up, reached her first final at home in Nice. That was on clay, the only one she would reach on that surface. 10 of her 22 career finals were on carpet, and 7 more on grass.

(B)Sabatini is correct. The anti Tauziat, she reached 24 finals on clay, but only 1 on grass, which happened to be Wimbledon in 1991. The 1990 US Open winner went 27-28 in finals.

(A)Turnbull is wrong. The Sakkari of her generation. I kid, but she went 11-20 in finals. 3 time slam runner up, her last final was in San Diego back in 1985. She lost, giving Annabel Croft her one and only title.

(D)Mandlikova is also correct. The only one on the 4 with a winning record in finals, she went 27-25. Along with Pierce, she is the only #3 to win multiple grand slams, winning 4.

Mon Sep 25, 06:40:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side- Chaos Edition.

1.Cirstea- Ningbo pick is out of the box, but there are no former winners in the field with the event not having played since 2014. Shoutout to Baindl, who as Kozlova is the only returning singles player from that event. Note that Cirstea has a chance to rewrite her history. Last time she made a slam QF, she lost her last 6 matches of the season:2009.
2.Rybakina- I could easily put Swiatek here, and that is the reason that probably match could be 51/49. You see, Rybakina beat Swiatek in Rome. That was also Rybakina's last Top 10 win. Can she bring that level again?
3.Pegula- Has reached 10 QF this season. Why not pencil her in for 11. Note to Todd: Surprised not to see a Kiick/Dolphins tie in this week.
4.Kvitova- In a much weaker Ningbo field, 2014 and 2016 Wuhan winner tries to recapture the China magic.
5.Hruncakova- I may complain about her movement, but not her stamina. Her 3:29 match against Yuan was her 9th match over 2 hours since Wimbledon. She's been impressive lately.

Mon Sep 25, 06:50:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Wang Xiyu- Got that first title, which is always a good thing. On the list for this week, because every first time winner this season(0-10) has lost their next MD match. Four of them, including Krueger, who lost today(Cocciaretto, Rus, Timofeeva) are looking for first MD win since title.
2.Kalinskaya- Actually playing pretty well lately. So why is she here? Managed to get singles WC this week, so playing singles and doubles, even with her lack of durability. This is 9th doubles event of the season, coming off her first final. Teams with Alexandrova, whom she plays in the first round.
3.Zheng- A Down that technically isn't one. Hasn't played since the US Open, which seemingly kills momentum. However, she is playing the delayed 2022 Asian Games this week, which has an Olympic spot on the line. 15 of 16 seeds have reached the 3rd rd, but with 3 seed Ankita Raina ranked 196, this is the golden ticket. Zheng or Zhu may face somebody trying to live out a lifetime dream of playing for their country. Should I call that pulling a Dolehide?
4.Stephens- Has reached 4 QF(1-3) this season. All at 250 events. That is ok. What isn't, is that her loss to Arango is her 5th sub 100 loss this season. Like Venus at this point of her career, being a former slam winner does not make you feared.
5.Bouchard- Pickleball prodigy played really well against Kudermetova. More aggressive than she has been in some time. The problem is she did not win, and needs ranking points badly. Where will we see her next?

Mon Sep 25, 07:03:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

K-

Based on Rybakina's reaction, they must not have been told about having the byes in Tokyo (or were told they wouldn't have them) until when the draw came out. The Sakkari one was fine, but Garcia only reached the SF.

Rybakina ended up withdrawing anyway, which you have to sort of look at as something of an "F-this" withdrawal (though she had an official "reason"). ;)


C-

Quiz: I felt good with Mandlikova, but stupidly went w/ Turnbull as a second.

Truthfully, I didn't want to wait for Kiick's ITF final to finish (it was in California, so it was later on Sunday) -- she ultimately lost to Canadian Marina Stakusic, 18 -- so I never got the chance. :/

(Now will the Bills actually show up in a *big* game next week vs. the Dolphins. If they do, it might be a first.)

"Pickleball prodigy." ;)


So the '24 HoF noms are out, and it's mostly a rehash of the '23 list when none were voted through.

Newcomer Leander Paes joins returnees Cara Black, Daniel Nestor, Flavia Pennetta, Ana Ivanovic and Carlos Moya (and that's the order I'd rank their candidacies, too).

Also, I *hate* that they list four "Billie Jean King Cup" titles on Pennetta's career resume. Umm... no.

Tue Sep 26, 09:37:00 PM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

Also... Linda Fruhvirtova finally got a win! Though it *did* take a 3rd set retirement.

Tue Sep 26, 09:42:00 PM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Up Side- Early Bird Edition.

Beijing has started!

1.Zheng- Asian Games winner had not played a tour level match the last time the tour was in China. Beijing pick just for that reason.
2.Brady- Has a good draw;could reach QF. If she does, it would be her first since 2021 AO, when she reached final. Even with her breakout after the pandemic, this is her third Beijing, In with PR this time, qualified the other two.
3.Sakkari- Gets a performance bye for Beijing. Believe it or not, she should have earned one for Beijing in 2017 due to her Wuhan results. But she was in Q and could not make use of it.
4.Blinkova-Has a good draw, need to pick a good but not elite player as Petkovic and Bacsinszky are former finalists.
5.Muchova- Could be on either list. With her injury history, you don't want her to overplay, but it should be noted that she is the only Top 20 player not to have played a match since the US Open.

Sat Sep 30, 12:39:00 AM EDT  
Blogger colt13 said...

5 On the Down Side.

1.Swiatek- Obviously, nobody expected her to play like she did in 2022. But like Gauff and Pegula, Kudermetova has now got her signature win against Swiatek. She has come back to the pack.
2.Vekic- Had 7 wins during the grass season; 2 since. The AO and Monterrey seem so long ago.
3.Kalinskaya- As of this writing, she is down 0-6 having taken a medical timeout. With 7 retirements and 1 walkover the last two seasons, we might have another one.
4.Tauson- Injuries have wrecked another season. Last QF was Linz back in February. Last back to back main draw wins were at Roland Garros. Can she get healthy enough to show her true talent?
5.Tan- Beat Serena at Wimbledon in 2022 on the way to the round of 16. Has zero main draw wins since.

Sat Sep 30, 01:00:00 AM EDT  
Blogger Todd.Spiker said...

And Kalinskaya has *13* WO/ret. over the past three seasons. Has to be the tour leader there, right?

Sun Oct 01, 02:04:00 PM EDT  

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