Sunday, January 19, 2025

AO25 - Commanding the Court


18 consecutive wins at the AO. 24 consecutive sets. That’s an understatement to say that Sabalenka likes it down under 🦘 She has now reached a 10th grand slam QF since 2020, more than anybody. 31 wins in her last 32 GS matches. Dominant. 🐅 Def. M. Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 ——— 📸 Australian Open

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— 🎾Tennis Clubhouse (@thetennisclubhouse.bsky.social) January 18, 2025 at 9:06 PM







=AO NOTES=
...if we didn't know it already, after four rounds, this Australian Open championship sure looks like it's going to be going through Aryna Sabalenka.

The #1 seed posted her most impressive result of the event so far on Sunday, handling #14-seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1/6-2, maneuvering through the Hordette's brief period of contention in the 2nd set -- just as she did when Jessica Bouzas Maneiro led 5-2 in the 2nd set in the 2nd Round, and Clara Tauson had chances to win both sets in the 3rd -- when she saved four BP and held for a 4-2 lead. Andreeva didn't claim another game the remainder of the match.



Sabalenka remains undefeated in 2025 (9-0), and in Melbourne the last three years (18-0, with a 24-set winning streak). She's 31-1 in hard court major action since 2023 (36-2 back to the '22 U.S.). With the QF up next, Sabalenka will walk into the arena with a 9-1 record at that stage in her slam career.

Waiting for the Belarusian there will be another Russian, #27-seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who closed out a no-break 1st set vs. #18 Donna Vekic by claiming a 7-0 tie-break, then blanked the Croatian (who was dealing w/ an issue with her knee) in the 2nd to win 7-6(0)/6-0.



This is Pavlyuchenkova's first AO quarterfinal since 2020, which occurred at the end of a stretch when she reached three in four years in Melbourne.



...Coco Gauff, like Sabalenka, has yet to lose in 2025. The #3 seed did see her 18-set winning streak (back to the WTAF) ended by Belinda Bencic in the 1st of their Round of 16 match, as the Swiss succeeded on her second try to serve out the opener. But Gauff assumed control of the contest after that, winning 5-7/6-2/6-1 to reach the AO QF for a second straight year.



Gauff will face #11 Paula Badosa, who'll get a second chance in a second straight major to reach her maiden slam semifinal. The Spaniard rallied from 5-2 down in the 2nd set against Olga Danilovic to win in straights.

In that previous QF at the U.S. Open, she led Emma Navarro 5-1 in the 2nd only to collapse and drop the final six games to lose in two. In Badosa's first slam QF, at the '21 Roland Garros, she had a break lead in the 3rd vs. Tamara Zidansek before losing 8-6.

...in the juniors, with the 1st Round complete, #2 seed Mika Stojsavljevic (the Brit who won the U.S. Open girls' title last summer) is already out by the hand of Romanian Anamaria Federica Oana. Meanwhile, top seeded '24 finalist Emerson Jones (AUS) is still alive, as is #3 Jeline Vandromme (BEL), just off her Traralgon title run, and #4 Wakana Sonobe of Japan ('24 U.S. finalist).

...in ITF action, Hordette Tatiana Prozorova (New Delhi) and Waffle Hanne Vandwinkel (La Marsa, TUN) picked up the two biggest event titles with $50K wins. Prozorova won a $100K crown in September, but had to fight off 6 MP vs. Panna Udvardy to get a title half as big this time around.



Elli Mandlik, daughter of Hana Mandlikova, won a $35K in Palm Coast, Florida, to improve to 8-2 in career ITF finals; and, of course, it was another week, another Crusher champion, as Eliska Tichackova, 18, grabbed up her maiden pro title in the Antalya $15K.

One player who won't be involved in the Crusher roundabout any longer is Linda Klimovicova, as the 20-year old began representing Poland late in 2024 (with so many players to serve, ala the Russians years ago, I suspect she won't be the last of them to seek assistance and priority under another flag). Klimovicova reached her first final since the change this week, coming up short vs. Vandewinkel.

For a second straight weekend, Canada's Victoria Mboko and Bannerette Clervie Ngounoue will face off for an ITF crown in France. Last week, Mboko won a 7-5/6-3 final in Le Lamentin (Martinique), and the two will go again on Sunday in Petit Bourg (Guadeloupe).





...UMM, CAN WE RETIRE THE "What It Means" THING? PRETTY PLEASE. It's starting to feel like a bad WTA marketing campaign at this point.:




...IT'S BECAUSE OF ALL THAT PICKLEBALL PRACTICE, I BET:




...AND STARRING IN "WHO'S THAT GIRL? II"...:




...TBH, I THINK THE GUY WAS *TRYING* TO BE FUNNY (but, you be you):



That said, it's difficult to be against the notion of -- at least in their opinion -- someone holding others accountable when it comes to maintaining (or not) some level of respect. Too many players get a pass on showing very little of it to opponents, but that doesn't mean others shouldn't be called out for versions of similar "offenses," as well.


...I'D SAY SOMETHING SURPRISING (FOR THIS SPACE) WHEN IT COMES TO THE MEN'S COMPETITION, BUT THAT'D BE THE KISS OF DEATH AS FAR AS IT ACTUALLY HAPPENING (so I won't):




...CROSSING FINGERS:












=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR def. #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS
#27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS def. #18 Donna Vekic/CRO
#3 Coco Gauff/USA def. (PR) Belinda Bencic/SUI
#11 Paula Badosa/ESP def. Olga Danilovic/SRB
#6 Elena Rybakina/KAZ vs. #19 Madison Keys/USA
Veronika Kudermetova/RUS vs. #28 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#8 Emma Navarro/USA vs. #9 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
(LL) Eva Lys/GER vs. #2 Iga Swiatek/POL

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Siniakova/Townsend (CZE/USA) vs. #16 Fernandez/N.Kichenok (CAN/UKR)
#9 Mladenovic/Zhang Shuai (FRA/CHN) vs. #5 Chan H-c./L.Kichenok (TPE/UKR)
M.Andreeva/Shnaider (RUS/RUS) vs. (WC) Birrell/Gadecki (AUS/AUS)
Wang Xinyu/Zheng Saisai (CHN/CHN) vs. Rakhimova/Sorribes Tormo (RUS/ESP)
Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU) def. #12 Guo Hanyu/Panova (CHN/RUS)
#3 Hsieh/Ostapenko (TPE/LAT) def. #13 Babos/Melichar-Martinez (HUN/USA)
Kato/Zarazua (JPN/MEX) def. #7 Muhammad/Schuurs (USA/NED)
#15 Haddad Maia/Siegemund (BRA/GER) vs. #2 Dabrowski/Routliffe (CAN/NZL)

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Nicholls/Patten (GBR/GBR) def. #1 Errani/Vavassori (ITA/ITA)
Khromacheva/Withrow (RUS/USA) vs. #6 Hsieh/Zielinski (TPE/POL)
#3 Perez/Krawietz (AUS/GER) vs. (WC) Hon/Bolt (AUS/AUS)
(WC) Birrell/J-P.Smith (AUS/AUS) def. #7 Schuurs/Puetz (NED/GER)
Babos/Arevalo (HUN/ELS) vs. (WC) Gadecki/Peers (AUS/AUS)
Zhang Shuai/Bopanna (CHN/IND) w/o #4 Townsend/Nys (USA/MON)
#8 Muhammad/Molteni (USA/ARG) def. Danilina/Heliovaara (KAZ/FIN)
Panova/Glasspool (RUS/GBR) vs. #2 Routliffe/Venus (NZL/NZL)

=WHEELCHAIR SINGLES 1st Rd.=
#1 Yui Kamiji/JPN vs. (WC) Shiori Funamizu/JPN
Lizzy de Greef/NED vs. Macarena Cabrillana/CHI
#4 Jiske Griffioen/NED vs. TBD
Li Xiaohui/CHN vs. Manami Tanaka/JPN
Saki Takamuro/JPN vs. Angelica Bernal/COL
TBD vs. Wang Ziying/CHN
Kgothatso Montjane/RSA vs. (WC) Lucy Shuker/GBR
Zhu Zhenzhen/CHN vs. #2 Aniek Van Koot/NED






















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**AO "AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD" WINNERS**
=2020=
["Good On Ya, Mate"] Aces for Bushfire Relief
=2021=
["G'Day, Naomi"] Naomi Osaka & the "good luck" butterfly
=2022=
["Freakin' Hell?"] Tennis Australia sides with unvaccinated Novak Djokovic, but bans visible support for Peng Shuai
=2023=
["Don't Spit the Dummy"] One year after Ash Barty is first Aussie AO champ in 44 years, #160 Fourlis is highest ranked AUS in MD; only two AUS wild cards get 1r wins, none go past 2r
=2024=
["Crikey!"] Anna Blinkova & Elena Rybakina play slam record 42-point tie-break
=2025=
["A right corker"] The "Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal" erupts when Iga Swiatek says she prefers the cafe offerings of Sydney

**RECENT AO "LADY OF THE EVENING" WINNERS**
2016 "The Dasha Show" (Gavrilova)
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2018 Elise Mertens, BEL
2019 Garbine Muguruza, ESP (3:12am finish)
2020 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2021 Simona Halep, ROU
2022 Ash Barty, AUS
2023 Victoria Azarenka, BLR (2:17am finish)
2024 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR and Linda Noskova, CZE
2025 Aryna Sabalenka/BLR & Jelena Dokic (Laver dancing)





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Washington made it to the NFC championship 5x in 10 years when I was a kid. You think “it’s always going to be this way.” And then it’s not. For a looong time. So you put that part of your fandom away, thinking you’ll never use it again. Then … this. And you’re a kid again. And it is glorious.

— Will Graves AP (@willgravesap.bsky.social) January 19, 2025 at 9:08 AM


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TOP QUALIFIER: Maja Chwalinska, POL
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q1 - #20 Maja Chwalinska/POL def. Dominika Salkova/CZE 7-6(3)/5-7/7-6(12-10) - Chwalinska in 3:23, was down a break twice in the 3rd. Salkova served for the win at 5-4, led 7-3 in the deciding MTB and held a pair of MP.
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #8 Emma Navarro/USA def. Peyton Stearns/USA 6-7(5)/7-6(5)/7-5 - 3:22 between former NCAA champs; Stearns up set and 2-0, up 5-3 in 3rd and served at 5-4; Navarro wins 16/19 points to end
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/WC/Doub.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #14 Mirra Andreeva/RUS (def. Marie Bouzkova/CZE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #29 Linda Noskova/CZE (1st Rd.- Tauson/DEN)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Destanee Aiava/AUS (6th MD), Talia Gibson/AUS (2nd MD), Suzan Lamens/NED (1st MD), Rebecca Sramkova/SVK (5th MD)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Belinda Bencic/SUI (4th Rd.) (2r-Birrell/AUS, Kovinic/MNE)
LUCKY LOSER BEST: Eva Lys/GER (in 4r) (2r-Dart/GBR)
UPSET QUEENS: Great Britain
REVELATION LADIES: Germany
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Czech Republic (1-4 1st Rd.; Kvitova/Pliskova/Krejcikova DNP; Vondrousova; Bouzkova First Loss; Noskova First Seed Out; Beljek 0-5 slam MD)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Destanee Aiava/AUS and Gabriela Ruse/ROU (both 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Talia Gibson/AUS, Iva Jovic/USA, Ajla Tomljanovic/AUS(L) and Zhang Shuai/CHN (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Destanee Aiava, Talia Gibson and Ajla Tomljanovic (all 2nd Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: x
IT (TBD): x
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Bencic, V.Kudermetova
CRASH & BURN: #5 Zheng Qinwen/CHN (2r- 2024 finalist and Olympic Gold medalist out in 2 sets vs. Siegemund/GER)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF MELBOURNE: Eva Lys/GER (LL added to MD on Day 3 ten minutes before start of 1r match; reaches 4th Rd. for first time at a major)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: Nominee: Pavlyuchenkova, Keys, Svitolina
LADY OF THE EVENING: Aryna Sabalenka/BLR & Jelena Dokic (dancing on Laver)
AUSTRALIAN LANGUAGE ARTS AWARD: ["A right corker"] The "Great Melbourne Coffee Scandal" erupts when Iga Swiatek says she prefers the cafe offerings of Sydney
DOUBLES STAR: x
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x





All for now. More soon.

posted by Todd.Spiker @ 1:46 PM 

1 Comments:

Blogger Diane said...

I still think it's amazing that Steve Tyler wrote "Dream On" when he was 17. The only other song I can think of with that same kind of backstory is the great "Walk Away Renee," which Michael Brown wrote when he was 16.

Sun Jan 19, 02:07:00 PM EST  

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