Chris Evert--Serena Williams
Peter Bodo--Serena Williams
Steve Tignor--Victoria Azarenka
Brad Gilbert--Serena Williams
Patrick McEnroe--Serena Williams
Pam Shriver--Serena Williams
Ed McGrogan--Serena Williams
*Todd Spiker--Victoria Azarenka
Greg Garber--Serena Williams
Howard Bryant--Victoria Azarenka
Mary Joe Fernandez--Serena Williams
Matt Wilansky--Serena Williams
Cliff Drysdale--Serena Williams
Darren Cahill--Serena Williams
Kamakshi Tandon--Victoria Azarenka
Richard Pagliaro--Serena Williams
*caRL piCk2--Serena Williams
see other cave family selections here
To those who doubt that draws can be and (especially in the case of the USTA) ARE fixed. To wit, no American man or woman will face another American in the first round of the qualies or the MAIN DRAW. I'm waiting to see the juniors draws, both girls and boys. The odds are against it. The inference that must be drawn: if the first round can be rigged, so can the sections be rigged to make certain that some match-ups occur late, if at all or early, if at all. I've brought this to the attention of all of the big pundits in the past. Despite assurances that they would tackle the issue by investigating it, none lifted a finger. Cowards all.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they're just too busy to deal with it. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteHi Doug,
ReplyDeleteInteresting info, thanks.
> "The odds are against it."
By how much!? That's the clincher! If it's just *slightly* unlikely, it doesn't prove a jot. However, if it's MASSIVELY unlikely...?
I have no idea how to accurately calculate the necessary stats, but if you could find someone willing to crunch the numbers for you, that would be useful.
p.s. why complain to the "big pundits"!? It's a bit like spotting someone drowning at sea, and rushing off to report it to the guy who hawks the sun loungers! ;)
p.p.s. Hi Diane! Still love your blog, x
PB
Thanks so much, Paul!
ReplyDeleteDoug, has this phenomenon occurred before at the U.S. Open?
An example:Two years ago, while perusing the juniors draws, I noticed that no American had to face an American in the first round. This held for the qualies and the main juniors draws, male and female. On the distaff side 14 of 32 players were those in the main draw. Statistically, that is, to use Paul's term, "massive." Not one American v another American. That was the worst of it, but consistently for the last four years, few Americans either juniors or main draw, have had to face one another in round one. More importantly, if that can be rigged, so can other aspects of the draw. This oddity has not held sway at the other so-called Slams.
ReplyDeletePaul, I wrote to the USTA but did not hear back from them.
I could understand if an Australian didn't meet an Australian or a Brit didn't meet a Brit. There just aren't that many of them, even in qualifying. But in both France and the USA, there are many players from those nations involved.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if anyone has ever done the math to determine the odds involved.
Two years ago, someone did the math and came to the conclusion that the US Open draw was highly suspect.
ReplyDeleteThe study involved looking at all four Slams. It was a serious study. You might still find it online.
I left something important out of one of my posts. A few years ago 14 of the 32 junior girls were AMERICANS
ReplyDeleteNone were drawn to play one another. That strikes me as 'massive' odds, to use Paul's word.