I don't usually write much about USA tennis because my interest in women's tennis is global, but the U.S. situation is quite interesting at this point, and is worth discussing. Over the years, many fans and onlookers have asked "What will happen when the Williams sisters retire?," "Who will 'succeed' Serena Williams (as if)?," and "Why doesn't the USA have more top players?"
Then along came Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys, and--while the landscape didn't shift--it did become more spacious. Keys has yet to win a major, but her back-to-back Charleston-Cincinnati victory run in 2019 was quite impressive. Stephens, of course, won the U.S. Open in 2017 (Keys, of course, was the runner-up). An unpredictable player, Stephens could make another big run very soon--or not.
With Serena Williams still in the mix, and Keys and Stephens climbing up the rankings, the USA scene looked solid. But here's the thing about tennis--just when fans and the media assume they know who's going to do what, when--someone sneaks in and takes a place at the front of the line. This time around, that someone is Sofia Kenin.
Fans saw Kenin in Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) play, and got a taste of her superior brand of mental strength. In Cincinnati in 2019, she made it to the semifinals. Kenin lost to Keys in the third round of the U.S. Open, but came back in 2020 and won the Australian Open, defeating Ash Barty in the semifinals and Garbine Muguruza in the final. She went on another big run at the French Open (not a tournament at which she was expecting to excel), but lost in the final to Polish force of nature Iga Swiatek (also, having an injured leg certainly didn't help).
While Sofia Kenin is undeniably the top U.S. star (and also WTA Player of the Year) at this time, she wasn't the only one insisting on becoming a force. Jennifer Brady started 2020 with a bang, getting victories over Maria Sharapova, Ash Barty, Elina Svitolina, and Garbine Muguruza. She was the only undefeated player at the exhibition even that was played in Charleston, and she went on to win in Lexington. Brady made it all the way to the semifinals at the U.S. Open, where she lost to eventual champion Naomi Osaka.
The 25-year-old, believing that she needed to do something different in order to meet her potential, spent the 2019 off-season training in Germany, and it paid off.
Finally, there's Coco Gauff, who turned pro only two years ago and is only sixteen years old, but she has clearly announced herself on the tour. The former junior world number 1 won the 2019 Linz tournament, and--with Caty McNally--has won two doubles tournaments. As a qualifier (the youngest in history) she reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2019, taking out both Venus Williams and Palona Hercog. Her defeat was at the hands of eventual champion Simona Halep.
Those are the current stars, but there are other very good stories. Late in her career, Alison Riske has experienced a resurgence. And--while things may not have gone that well for her in 2020--Amanda Anisimova is definitely a player with great potential, and I believe that she will impress us even more in the next year or so. Then there's Danielle Collins, who reached the quarterfinals of the French Open this year, taking out 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza.
The USA won Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) in 2017, and should be quite competitive when play resumes.
Here are the current WTA rankings for the top U.S. players:
Sofia Kenin (4) Serena Williams (11) Madison Keys (16) Alison Riske (26) Amanda Anisimova (30) Sloane Stephens (39) Danielle Collins (45) Coco Gauff (48)
Perhaps there was a stranger tennis year than 2020, but I don’t recall it, and I’ve been paying attention for a long time. We had no Wimbledon (not a great loss, from my standpoint, though very bad for the sport), we had bubbles, bubbles in bubbles, spontaneously produced exhibition matches, an absent defending champion, and some heartbreaking retirements. The talented Ons Jabeur became the first Arab player to reach a major quarterfinal (Australian Open). Petra Kvitova defied her own long-held expectations and reached the semifinals of the French Open, and Garbine Muguruza reached the final of the Australian Open. Oh—and, of course, Tsvetana Pironkova popped up (with an improved game) after a three-year absence from the tour, and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open.
Here is my list of the top 2020 occurrences and phenomena, in ascending order: 10. The Original 9—Women with Spine: 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the act that would change tennis forever. Nine determined women each gave promoter Gladys Heldman one dollar to seal a contract to compete in a women’s-only tournament in Houston. This simple transaction led to the eventual formation of the Women’s Tennis Association, arguably the most successful women’s sports organization in the world.
But it wasn’t an easy decision. When the Original 9 made it clear that getting 1/8 of the prize money given to men was unacceptable, and that they would have to break away, they were threatened with being banned from majors and from all meaningful tournaments. Male players who the women thought were their friends turned against them (no one ever mentions it, but Arthur Ashe was a leader of the charge against women earning any kind of reasonable prize money). So, knowing that they would probably have no career to which they could return, these nine brave women changed the sports world for women.
To celebrate the Original 9, the WTA put together a very fine series of articles, tributes and media about the women and the history that they made. The International Tennis Hall of Fame presented an Original 9 exhibit, and there were a number of charity events and panel discussions dedicated to the recognition of the Original 9.
9. Diede De Very Good: We call Diede De Groot “Diede De Great,” but this year, she had what, for her, was a slump. The defending champion at both the Australian Open and the French Open, she won neither of them. In Australia, De Groot was upset in the opening round by China’s Zhenzhen Zhu, playing in the first major of her career. At the French Open, the Dutch star was upset in the semifinals by Momoko Ohtani of Japan. Yui Kamiji of Japan won both titles.
De Groot and her partner, Aniek Van Koot, were the defending champions at all four majors (Wimbledon, of course, was not played, nor were the Paralympic Games). They won the French Open, but lost the Australian Open to Yui Kamiji and Jordanne Whiley. De Groot teamed with Marjolein Buis (Van Koot did not play) for the U.S. Open, and they made it to the final, but were defeated by Kamiji and Whiley.
One obvious problem with De Groot’s 2020 tennis was the disintegration of her serve. She double-faulted repeatedly, which cost her a lot of games. One hopes that the serving issue (often caused by nerves) will be resolved by 2021.
8 Look who’s back!: During many periods throughout her career, it seemed like Victoria Azarenka just couldn’t catch a break. Injuries (a few of them out of the ordinary), ongoing sexism, a vicious child custody battle—so many things kept getting in her way. It hasn’t looked that good for the Belarusian star in the last few years, but—after a shaky start—2020 was a different story. Azarenka withdrew from the Australian Open for personal reasons. She won the Western & Southern Open, and then reached the final of the U.S. Open.
7. We’re here!: Are they ever. Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Dayana Yastremska, Karaolina Muchova, Leylah Fernandez, Iga Swiatek, Anett Kontaveit—we’ve been watching them for a while. This year, there were even more upstarts with which established players had to contend.
Jennifer Brady began 2020 by beating both Maria Sharapova and Ash Barty in Brisbane, where she was a qualifier. She upset Elina Svitolina in Dubai, and reached the semifinals, a first for her at a Premier event. She was also the only player to go undefeated at the Credit One Bank Invitational in Charleston. Brady won her first WTA title in Lexington, then reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open. In the 2019 off-season, the U.S. player, determined, she said, to maximize her potential, trained in Germany, and emerged with increased fitness. She’s definitely someone to watch in 2021.
A couple of dramatic introductions occurred at the French Open, when Italian player Martina Trevisan and Nadia Podoroska of Argentina blazed through the first week of the event, and then reached the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.
Trevisan wasn’t fooling around. She took out Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari and Kiki Bertens. Podoroska’s story was even more dramatic: She was a qualifier, so she had to win three matches before the tournament even began. In the main draw, she upset the likes of an on-fire Yulia Putintseva and 3rd seed Elina Svitolina. Both of these amazing players were eventually defeated by someone on that “watch” list (more on that later).
6. It was the best of seasons, it was the worst of seasons: Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic, one of the two hottest doubles teams on the tour, had a rather dramatic season. They won both the Australian Open and the French Open. Unfortunately, though they were the top seeds, they were forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open when the county government stepped in and declared that their “bubble within a bubble” status disqualified them (an ATP player who had also been double-bubbled because of a Covid contact had been allowed to play the day before).
And now, a brief interlude to present my metaphor for 2020:
5. It hurts to say goodbye: The great Maria Sharapova retired this year, and that would have been enough for me, in terms of sadness, but so many other players also chose 2020 to say goodbye. Caroline Wozniacki retired from the sport, as did Julia Goerges. But these stars weren’t the only ones to leave: We also lost Ekaterina Makarova, Magdalena Rybarikova, Johanna Larsson, Pauline Parmentier, Teliana Pereira, Jamie Hampton, Vania King, Silvia Soler-Espinosa, Jessica Moore, Rika Fujiwara, and Anna Tatishvili.
4. The strength behind the mask: Naomi Osaka won her second U.S. Open title this year, further establishing herself as the player to beat at a major. She also further established herself as a force for equality and justice, which was a breath of fresh air. Not that long ago, Osaka was an awkward young woman who was afraid to speak in front of a crowd, but then she found her voice, and what a voice it is. Tennis history will long remember the U.S. Open champion’s array of face masks; each represented an individual who was murdered by the police. Osaka brought seven masks to New York, and she was able to wear every one of them. 3. The value of attitude: Perhaps no one on the tour is a better “forgetter” than Sofia Kenin. She makes a mistake, she moves on. She loses a big point, she moves on. She loses a tournament, she moves on. This mindset has enabled the U.S. star to scrap her way to the top five (she is currently number 4 in the world). It also helped her to win the 2020 Australian Open and to reach the final of the French Open. Kenin possesses a wide variety of skills and an aggressive style that do a lot to create a champion. But her other “weapon,” mental toughness, is just as significant.
2. Time violation: Covid-19, and the accompanying denial and mismanagement of it, wreaked havoc on everything this year, including professional tennis. Several elite players opted not to play at the U.S. Open, including world number 1 Ash Barty, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina, Kiki Bertens, and defending champion Bianca Andreescu. Andreescu, who seems perpetually injured, missed the entire 2020 season (a source of great disappointment for me). Barty, after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open, also opted out of the remainder of the season because of the pandemic.
The Wimbledon event was canceled, and the French Open was rescheduled so that it began shortly after the U.S. Open ended. On the up side, some exhibition events popped up, including the entertaining Credit One Bank Invitational in Charleston (from which Andreescu also withdrew). For the most part, the U.S. Open was credited with having handled health and safety issues well; the French Open, not so much. There was no Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) and no Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The pandemic is still raging, so it remains to be seen what type of damage it will do to the 2021 season. 1. The Wonder Woman sequel arrives early: We knew that Iga Swiatek was very talented. What we didn’t know was that she would go to Paris and mow down the anticipated champion, Simona Halep. And we didn’t know that she would play seven matches without dropping a set, losing only 28 games—and make it all look effortless. But that’s what happened, and it was stunning. Moreover, the Polish teen (not unlike that other young wonder, Andreescu) appeared to have such a good time doing it. Swiatek is now number 17 in the world—keep an eye on that number.
Julia Goerges retired from professional tennis yesterday, after spending fifteen years on the tour. Goerges--though an accomplished player by any standard--will be most remembered for her sportswomanlike approach to every aspect of the game, an inspiring reconstruction of her career, and an unforgettable forehand.
The German star came on the scene in 2005, and during the course of her career, won seven singles titles-- including the 2017 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, plus back-to-back titles in Auckland--and five doubles titles. She made 48 consecutive runs in majors, which included seven second-week performances.
In 2018, Goerges reached the Wimbledon semifinals, after knocking out Barbora Strycova, Donna Vekic and Kiki Bertens (in a match between close friends). Goerges and Nenad Zemojic were the runners-up in mixed doubles at the 2014 French Open, and Goerges reached three major semifinals--the 2015 Australian Open (with Anna-Lena Groenefeld), the 2016 Australian Open (with Karolina Pliskova) and the 2016 Wimbledon tournament (with Pliskova).
Goerges was a regular member the German Fed Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup) team for years. In 2017, she won the Fed Cup Heart Award.
Photos by Daniel Ward
In 2018, the German star replaced her doubles partner, Karolina Pliskova, as the WTA Ace Queen, hitting a stunning 492 aces. During that season, she also led the tour in both first serve points won ((73.8%) and break points saved (63.5%). (In the era of match stats (since 2008), Goerges holds the number 3 ranking in hitting aces--2,931).
Photo by Daniel Ward
Pretty impressive. But it wasn't a lucky streak. By 2014, Goerges' game had suffered so much that she fell out of the top 100. She decided she had to change everything, so she hired a new coach and a new physio, and she even moved to a different part of Germany. The German player is very organized in every aspect of her life, and says that she likes to take as much responsibility for her life as possible (which includes doing her own taxes--she also really likes numbers).
I remember, a couple of years ago in Charleston, Goerges said: “...the match starts with yourself, and that’s what I can control.”
After Goerges did her famous "restart" of her game, she rose to prominence. One thing she didn't have to restart was her heavy-spinning forehand, which has been her shot of choice throughout her career. In 2018, Goerges reached a career-high singles ranking of number 9 in the world.
In announcing her retirement, the 31-year-old Georges wrote:
"When I started playing tennis at the age of five, I would never have
thought that we would go such a long way together.
"You have given me so many different types of emotions throughout our
journey and I am very thankful for everything you have shown and taught
me. I learnt how to deal with the toughest losses but also enjoy the
most amazing wins of my career, to fight back many times when I was
struggling with you and through it all we never lost sight of our
dreams.
"I always knew how I would feel when it is time to say goodbye to you,
and that moment has arrived. I am ready to close the tennis chapter of
my life and open a new one, which I am really excited about.
"Thank you for everything you have given me. You will stay forever in my heart."
Saying goodbye to beloved players is something that all tennis fans have a lot of experience doing, but it never gets easier. It is especially difficult to say goodbye to someone who brought us so many thrills, gave us such elegant performances, showed us how to start over, and set such a notable example of how to relate to others.
Here are my top 10 French Open happenings, in ascending order:
10. How quickly a bubble bursts: Though a good example was set in New York, players in Paris complained that the so-called bubble really wasn’t a bubble at all. The player hotel housekeeping staff was described as cleaning players’ rooms while not wearing masks, and there were reports that people who had nothing to do with the tournament were allowed to enter the building. Then there was the ATP player who failed to tell the tournament that he was very ill, and played his match, anyway. Clearly, those in charge failed to take their responsibilities seriously.
9. Look who’s back!: Anna Karolina Schmiedlova has had a hard time catching a break, but—back from having knee surgery and playing with a protected ranking—she made herself known again in Paris. Schmiedlova began her campaign by defeating Venus Williams (for the third consecutive time), and then she upset U.S. Open finalist Vika Azarenka in the next round. She lost in the third round when she came up against Nadia Podoroska, but it was a very good—though sadly, too brief—run.
8. Numéro Quatre!: There were a couple of big stories in wheelchair singles competition. The biggest one belongs to 2nd seed Yui Kamiji, who won her fourth French Open title when she defeated Momoto Ohtani 6-2, 6-1 in the final. But Ohtani had a story too: Playing in only her second major, she reached the final by upsetting top seed and defending champion Diede De Groot.
7. Carrying the flag: There were undoubtedly high French hopes for Kiki Mladenovic (who would go on to make her country very proud), Alize Cornet and Caroline Garcia. Cornet went out in the second round, Mladenovic in the first. Caroline Garcia, whose fortunes have gone up and down in recent years, was unseeded. She did well, making it to the round of 16, in which she lost to 3rd seed Elina Svitolina. Prior to that, she had a couple of excellent wins, beating Anett Kontaveit in the first round, and coming back from a 1-6 first set to defeat Elise Mertens.
In the meantime, world number 49 Fiona Ferro beat young sensation Elena Rybakina, and then—in the round of 16—took 4th seed and eventual finalist Sofia Kenin to three sets before falling to her. Another bonus: 17-year-old Elsa Jacquemot of France, seeded 3rd, won the junior singles championship. (And wild card Clara Burel made it to the third round.)
6. She loves Paris in the fall: No true tennis fan will ever forget Petra Kvitova’s triumphant (and earlier than expected) return to the tour in 2017, after having had her racket hand brutally slashed in a home invasion. Her first match was the opening round of the French Open, which she won, despite having limited sensation in her hand. The crowd went crazy.
Roland Garros has never been the Czech star’s idea of fun, but this year, she showed up with more variety in her game, and—for a while—even looked like a contender. She beat talented newcomer Leylah Fernandez, and then she beat clay specialist Laura Siegemund. Kvitova made it all the way to the semifinals, and then—apparently nervous—she rushed her shots, made several unforced errors, and lost to Sofia Kenin. It was a match that 2020 French Open Kvitova should have won. At any rate, it was a stellar run, and one hopes that it will give her confidence.
5. French toast: Top seed Simona Halep was the heavy favorite to win the tournament. She allowed Amanda Anisimova, who upset Halep at the 2019 French Open, only one game. She looked, for all the world, like she was soon going to hold another Coupe Suzanne Lenglen.
Then, in the round of 16, the 2018 champion ran into Iga Swiatek, and she might as well have run into a buzz saw. It was one of those matches that—even while you were watching it—you weren’t quite sure you were really seeing what you were seeing.
Last year, in the same round, Halep had obliterated Swiatek, 6-1, 6-0. The young Polish player obviously made a note of that, and she returned the favor by upsetting Halep 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour. The top seed did not play badly at all—she was simply outclassed by a big-serving, ball-spinning, winner-smacking teen phenom.
4. Please refrain from using the “f” word: There are certain words that fans use that I don’t like. One of them is “over-achiever.” Another is “fluke.” Winning seven matches in a row on a huge stage—even if a player does it only once—is a huge achievement. Sofia Kenin did it this year in Australia. And while she’s had some stumbles since then, she made it all the way to the final in Paris. Like so many others, she lost to Swiatek, but clearly, she’s someone who should be taken quite seriously.
3. You know their names now: The names Martina Trevisan and Nadia Podoroska were not very well known before the French Open began. Trevisan got everyone’s attention in the second round, however, when she defeated Coco Gauff. The Italian then proceeded to take out 20th seed Maria Sakkari, and—in the round of 16—she upset 5th seed, and clay court star, Kiki Bertens. In the quarterfinals, Trevisan lost in straight sets to—all together now: Iga Swiatek.
Podoroska, the 131st-ranked player from Argentina, was a qualifier, which means that she won three matches before the main draw even began. It’s unusual for qualifiers to get very far in a major draw—not only because they are often outplayed, but also because they are exhausted. Not so Podoroska, who took out the likes of 23rd seed Yulia Putintseva, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, and—in the quarterfinals—3rd seed Elina Svitolina. Her glorious run ended in the semifinals when she lost in straight sets to you-know-who.
2. Better together: Kiki Mladenovic has a lovely, but maddeningly inconsistent, singles game. One hopes that, some day, she will meet her considerable potential. In the meantime, she continues to shine in doubles, as does her partner, Timea Babos. The French Open defending champions did it again this year. Babos and Mladenovic defeated 14h seeds Alexa Guarachi and Desirae Krawczyk 6-4, 7-5 in the final. Guarachi and Krawczyk had upset top seeds Hsieh Su Wei and Barbora Strycova. This is the Frenchwoman’s third Roland Garros doubles title—she and Caroline Garcia won the title in 2016.
1. I came in like a wrecking ball: We all knew that Iga Swiatek was talented and that she had a lot of potential. What we didn’t know was that all that potential would explode during a two-week siege in Paris, where the Polish teen would lose only 28 games and not drop a set. (Though I consider them both to be wildly talented—in one interesting way, Swiatek is the anti-Andreescu. The Canadian star thrives on using her creativity to solve problems, whereas Swiatek appears to thrive on preventing problems from occurring. It’s great fun to watch both styles of approaching the game, and I can’t wait to see them compete against each other.)
Swiatek’s demolition of Simona Halep stunned tennis fans around the world, but the first hint of what was to come occurred in the opening round when she defeated last year’s finalist, Marketa Vondrousova. Swiatek never looked nervous, never looked tight, never looked like anything less than a star athlete with a firm grasp of what she needed to do tactically. Her on-court poise was notable as she swatted away one opponent after the other, and left two of the top five seeds with no answers.
Today, 19-year-old Iga Swiatek made tennis history by becoming the first Polish person to win a major. That alone would have been enough, but she did it without dropping a set, and she gave up only 28 games on her way to holding the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen. Swiatek's dramatic French Open run also occurred in cold, damp conditions--the sort that send many big-name players to the exit gates.
Like her very talented peer, Bianca Andreescu, Swiatek entered the tournament filled with carefully developed confidence, and that confidence didn't melt away as the potential for a very big ending closed in. One of the reasons it didn't melt away was that the new champion travels with Daria Abramowicz, a sports psychologist.
"She just made me smarter," Swiatek says of Abramowicz. "I know more about sports and I know more about
psychology and I can understand my own feelings and I can say them out
loud." The Polish teenager has always worked with a sports psychologist, but settled with Abramowicz two years ago. And, unlike other sports psychologists, Abramowicz incorporates psychotherapy into her work with athletes (As a former mental health professional, I applaud this tactic with enthusiasm.)
Again, not unlike Andreescu (who was playing in her very first U.S. Open when she won it), Swiatek was playing in only her second Roland Garros main draw. And like Alona Ostapenko in 2017, she did it without being seeded, and without ever having won a tour tournament.
Having buzzed through the competition with apparent--and utterly stunning--ease, she had to face Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the final. Kenin's greatest strength may be her mental toughness; she has an uncanny ability to forget bad points and letdowns, and just go right on to the next point or shot.
It should have been a tense, probably three-set match. The first set was competitive, with Swiatek taking a quick 3-0 lead, and then seeing it wiped out by Kenin. However, Swiatek was able to grab a late break and finish the set 6-4. In the second set, Kenin's movement wasn't the same as it had been, and--deep into the set--she took a medical timeout for her leg. She won only one game in that set, as the relentless young Polish star--after an hour and 24 minutes--put an end to Kenin's run.
Swiatek did everything better than her opponent. Her serving, her net play, and her ability to convert break opportunities were superior, and her athleticism was on grand display as she slid expertly across the clay to reach balls.
Swiatek hit 25 winners and made 17 unforced errors in the final. Her consistency throughout seven matches, her brutal upset of top seed Simona Halep, and the efficiency of her monster forehand sent a scary message to the entire field.
In wheelchair tennis news, newcomer Momoko Ohtani's run was stopped by 2nd seed Yui Kamiji, who defeated Ohtani 6-2, 6-1 in the final. Kamiji and her partner, Jordanne Whiley (seeded 2nd) were defeated in a doubles final thriller by top seeds and defending champions Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot (7-6, 3-6, 10-8).
17-year-old Elsa Jacquemot of France, seeded 3rd, won the junior singles championship by defeating Alina Charaeva of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. The Italian team of Eleonora Alvisi and Lisa Pigato won the junior doubles title when they defeated the Russian team of Maria Bondarenko and Diana Shnaider 7-6, 6-4 in the final.
Tomorrow, 2nd seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic will compete for the championship against 14th seeds Alexa Guarachi and Desirae Krawczyk. Babos and Mladenovic are the defending champions.
....But maybe someone should have. Sofia Kenin hasn't exactly had a promising post-shutdown experience, but--not unlike Bianca Andreescu--she thrives on solving problems, and she brought that under-rated skill to the clay courts in Paris. As for Iga Swiatek--we've all been watching her for a while, so why not now? (Ask Alona Ostapenko!)
The Polish teen, who--today--make quick work of impressive qualifier Nadia Podoroska, Swiatek has yet to drop a set, and she's dropped only 23 games on her way to the French Open final. Will the occasion finally get to her on Saturday, when she plays Kenin in the final? It might. Or she could just Ostapenko her way through.
As for Kenin, she theoretically had her hands full with an on-fire Petra Kvitova, but Kvitova's nerves got the best of her, she rushed way too many shots, and made too many errors. In contrast, the Australian Open champion took advantage of four out of five break opportunities, saved ten out of twelve break points against her, brushed off her own errors, and emerged the victor, 6-4, 7-5, marking her first defeat of Kvitova.
This should be an exceptional final. Swiatek has never won a tournament, and--though the tennis world has been aware of her talent for some time--she has never before put on a performance like she has put on in Paris (few have). The 19-year-old has a complete game, plus power, precision, and--so far--confidence to spare. On Saturday, she will face a tactician and problem-solver supreme.
Kenin and Swiatek played each other at the 2016 French Open as juniors; Swiatek won that match, 6-4, 7-5. “I was not as comfortable on clay as I am now, as I started to feel last
year,” Kenin said. “Of course, we’re both different players now.”
Here are the players' paths to the final:
IGA SWIATEK round 1--def. Marketa Vondrousa (2019 finalist) round 2--def. Hsieh Su-Wei round 3--def. Genie Bouchard round of 16--def. Simona Halep (1) quarterfinals--def. Martina Trevisan semifinals--def. Nadia Podoroska (Q)
SOFIA KENIN (4) round 1--def. Liudmila Samsonova round 2--def. Ana Bogdan round 3--def. Irina Bara round of 16--Fiona Ferro quarterfinals--def. Danielle Collins semifinals--def. Petra Kvitova (7)
There was another big upset today in Paris. Top seed and defending wheelchair champion Diede De Groot was defeated in the semifinals by Monoko Ohtani of Japan. Playing in just her second major, Ohtani defeated De Groot 7-5, 6-4. The top seed's serve has been considerably off lately, and that was a major factor in her loss.
Ohtani's oopponent in the final will be countrywoman and 2nd seed Yui Kamiji, who has won the French Open three times (and three times in doubles). In the semifinals, Kamiji defeated Aniek Van Koot, who has been struggling with an injury which she described as "a kind of carpal tunnel syndrome combined with a tendon sheath inflammation in my left wrist."
NOTE: Content on this blog from here on out is likely to be delayed because Hurricane Delta is coming my way and I expect to lose power. If I'm lucky, the cellular towers will withstand the storm and I'll be able to watch the final on my phone. If I'm really lucky, power will be restored quickly--a possibility since I'm on the same grid as the local hospital.
Today, Australian Open champion and 4th seed Sofia Kenin defeated countrywoman Danielle Collins 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 to book a spot in the French Open semifinals, a situation many would not have predicted for her. The red clay, complete with rather harsh conditions, can bring a lot of good players down to earth. But Kenin is a problem-solver; problem-solving, is, in fact, a "weapon" for her (though the tennis world would never call it such). She just figures things out.
But will she figure out Petra Kvitova? The beloved Czech star defeated clay specialist Laura Siegemund today and now awaits Kenin in the semifinals. This "I like red clay!" Petra has been slicing, happily moving forward to the net, and even executing serve-and-volley since she has been in Paris. Kvitova, in short, looks fierce, and has yet to drop a set. (This morning, a commentator said that Kvitova's success here could get people to think about her as someone other than a grass specialist. Hello! She was the 2019 runner-up at the Australian Open, and has won several premier hard court events, but how quickly commentators forget.)
One of these players will be a first-time French Open (and Grand Slam) finalist
*Nadia Podoroska 🇦🇷 Qualifier, ranked 131 Martina Trevisan 🇮🇹 Qualifier, ranked 159 Iga Swiatek 🇵🇱 19 years old, ranked 54
Yesterday, qualifier Nadia Podoroska defeated 3rd seed Elina Svitolina in straight sets, putting Svitolina's performance in majors under a rather huge lens. The Ukrainian star wins other tournaments with ease, and has an impressive record in finals, but when she gets to the majors, she turns into a different player--one who loses when she "should" win. Of course, the more something like this happens, the harder it is for Svitolina to change the course of her performance in majors. Something needs to change.
Podoroska, incidentally, is the first qualifier ever to advance to the semifinals of Roland Garros.
Finally, Iga Swiatek just keeps on rolling. Yesterday, she defeated qualifier Martina Trevisan 6-3, 6-1. She's also still a major factor in the doubles draw: She and partner Nicole Melichar (the USA's most ignored tennis star) have advanced to the semifinals.
Melichar and Swiatek, who are unseeded, will face 14th seeds Alexa Guarachi and Disirae Krawczyk. In the other semifinal, 4th seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katarina Siniakova will compete against 2nd seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic. Babos and Mladenovic are the defending champions.
In the meantime, wheelchair competition has begun. Top seed and defending champion Diede De Groot won her quarterfinal against Jordanne Whiley, with the unusual score of 6-3, 0-6, 6-1. 2nd seed Yui Kamiji (last year's runner-up) defeated Marjolein Buis, and Aniek Van Koot defeated French wild card Charkotte Famin. In the remaining quarterfinal, Kgothatso Montjane defeated Momoko Ohtani.
The French Open website could certainly do better by wheelchair players in terms of publishing the draws.
Women's singles semifinals will be played tomorrow, and here is the draw:
Iga Swiatek vs. Nadia Podoroska (Q) Sofia Kenin (4) vs. Petra Kvitova (7)
It will be the first meeting between Swiatek and Podoroska. Kenin and Kvitova have played each other twice (once on clay), and Kvitova won both of those matches.
