Tuesday, November 26, 2019

2019: The upstarts take the stage




There was a lot going on this season. The coaching carousel spun faster than ever, the Fed Cup format was changed (we’ll experience that in 2020), and two revered veterans—Lucie Safarova and Dominika Cibulkova—retired from professional tennis.

Simona Halep held her own, and Serena Williams was again a force on the tour, reaching two major finals, but the year belonged to the up-and-coming stars of the WTA. 2019 will most likely be remembered for being the year when the rising generation made its stand.

Here are my top ten 2019 occurrences and phenomena, in ascending order:

10. Here they come!: The veterans do leave, but fresh faces appear, and in 2019, they appeared with force. In addition to Bianca Andreescu, there was Amanda Anisimova, Marie Bouzkova, Dayana Yastremska, Marketa Vondrousova (who reached the final of the French Open and then disappeared because of injury), and, of course, Coco Gauff.

9. Just how great is Diede de Great?: As it turns out—really great. The Dutch wheelchair champion just missed winning a double grand slam (there’s always next season, and don’t be surprised if she pulls it off ) when she lost the Wimbledon singles final, but she received quite a consolation prize.: This season, De Groot became the first wheelchair player in history to achieve the double career slam.

8. No dominance, but plenty of thrills: This season, several doubles teams rose to the top. Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai won the Australian Open, finally lifing Stosur’s Australia curse. Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic won the French Open, and that victory sent Mladenovic to the number 1 spot in the rankings. She would lose that ranking later, but she wouldn’t lose her shine: She and Babos won the WTA Finals, then she went crazy on Australia and was the dominant factor in France’s Fed Cup championship victory.

Then Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova won Wimbledon. This was Stryova’s first major doubles title, and she also reached the semifinals in singles. The Czech star would end the year with the number 1 ranking, a beautiful and fitting designation for a beloved player who plans to retire soon.

Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won the Sunshine Double, then—to emphasize just how good they are on hard courts—they won the U.S. Open.

7. So much for “letdown”: Often, when a young player wins a major, she then has to face being an international celebrity as well as being one of the “hunted” on the tour, and it takes time to make adjustments to these intense changes. Not Naomi Osaka. Yes, she has struggled with the transition, but that didn’t stop the 2018 U.S. Open champion from winning the 2019 Australian Open. That’s impressive.

6. Allez, baby!: They did it! Team France, led by a near-perfect Kiki Mladenovic, who pulled off a hat trick of wins for her country, secured its first Fed Cup championship since 2003. And they did it as the “away” team, defeating host Australia 3-2 in a very exciting weekend of play.

5. Wait—that was clay?: Anyone who watches women’s tennis knew that Ash Barty was very likely on her way to winning a major in singles, but probably no one—including Barty—would have picked the French Open as the site of her debut victory. But win it she did, defeating five USA players along the way (I mention that because it’s a rather unusual occurrence that anyone, much less the eventual champion, would defeat five players from the same country).

4. As if we needed more proof:. After she won Indian Wells, Bianca Andreescu’s fortunes went down because of injury, and she had to take several months off. No big deal—she returned and immediately won the Rogers Cup. Then, just to put an exclamation point on the whole phenomenom, she won the U.S. Open, and she did it by defeating Serena Williams in the final. Andreescu is the first Canadian to win a major.

3. Triumph of the heart: Simona Halep doesn’t exactly make it look easy. The talented Romanian can be her own worst enemy, and she has to exert a great deal of physical energy in many matches. But Simona is nevertheless her own version of tough. It took her three tries to win the French Open, but she did it. Last year, she almost won the Australian Open. This year, Halep brought her never-say-die brand of geometric tennis to London, and won Wimbledon. Along the way, she knocked out the likes of teen phenom Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina and—in the final—Serena Williams.





2. Behold the North Star: Bianca Andreescu appears to be a force of nature. She’s quick, she’s clever, she specializes in getting herself out of tricky situations (which she often creates), she’s highly entertaining, and—much of the time—she makes it all look pretty easy. The young Canadian star’s rise has been, without exaggeration, meteoric. For much of 2018, when she made her tour debut, Andreescu wasn’t even in the top 200; at the beginning of the 2019 season, she was ranked number 153 in the world. And then she ripped through the tour with such force that she rose to the rank of number 4 in the world (she is currently ranked number 5). She also won eight matches against top 10 players. And, I should add, she’s only 19 years old.

In September, I wrote of Andreescu: “…she is so many things--a good server, hard-hitting, dramatic, inventive, instinctive, and mentally tough (while not always seeming to be so).”

She’s also very injury-prone. After winning Indian Wells, she sustained an injury and was out for several months (this wasn’t the first time her brief career had been derailed by injury). But then she returned to the tour and promptly won the Rogers Cup. Andreescu topped her year off by winning the U.S. Open, but—once again—injury took her out of the WTA Finals.

I’m going to go with the belief that Andreescu and her team will figure out her injury issues. If that happens, it will be quite interesting to see what she does. In addition to having a number of athletic skills and tennis skills in particular, the Canadian star also has what so many talented players don’t have—confidence. I think this is going to be quite a ride.

1. The party never ends: When Ash Barty first came on the tour, I was struck by her amazing doubles skills. Then she went away to play cricket, and when she came back, she was invested in both doubles and singles. Now she is number 1 in the world. Barty has outstanding skills that she can employ from just about any position on the court, and she goes about her business in a calm, straightforward way, reserving her energy for hitting the ball and moving around the court.

Whereas Andreescu’s rise has been head-spinningly quick, Barty’s has been the product of a trek on a very winding road. From young doubles star to professional cricket player to notable singles player to number 1 in the world, the Australian has done it all her way. In addition to winning the French Open and ending the year as number 1, Barty also won the WTA Finals. In addition, she won Miami and Birmingham, the Rome doubles title (with Vika Azarenka), and was the major factor in Australia’s journey to the Fed Cup final. What a year!
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Tuesday, November 12, 2019

With a superb career behind her, Dominika Cibulkova retires from professional tennis


 

I remember the first time I saw Dominika Cibulkova. It was early in her career, and she was playing in Charleston. Short in stature, Cibulkova nevertheless hit the ball very hard, and I found myself compelled to watch her as much as I could.

"Cibulova is small" was an often-repeated commentator's description of the Slovak player. But Cibulkova is not small--she's short, but with a muscular build, and exceptionally strong legs. She told me once that, early on, she knew that she would make it as a pro only if she concentrated on her core, and that's where her power came from.

Unfortunately, for a long time, Cibulkova experienced chronic fragility in her lower back and upper thigh, but eventually, she solved that problem.

Cibulkova won eight singles titles, including Eastbourne, Stanford and Moscow. She was a thirteen-time runner-up, and her finalist appearances included New Haven, Wuhan and Sydney. Most notable of her runner-up performances was the 2014 Australian Open, in which she lost to Li Na in the final. On her way to that final, Cibulkova defeated the likes of Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep and Aga Radwanska.

The Slovak star was a semifinalist at the French Open in 2009, and she was a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon.

Perhaps Cibulkova's most memorable victory came in 2016, when she won the WTA Finals, defeating Angie Kerber in the final.

Cibulkova, who concentrated on singles play, won only one doubles title, and was twice a finalist. She was on the Slovak Fed Cup team for a total of eleven years, and ten of those were consecutive appearances. She was also on the Slovak Olympic team in 2008 and 2012.

Cibulkova reached a career-high ranking of number 4 in the world in 2017. She could be relentless with her hard-hitting baseline game, and she often appeared indefatigable as she forced her opponents to keep hitting one more ball until, finally, the error came. She had a keen focus on the court, and knew how to put maximum pressure on her opponents, and she was an exceptional retriever of the ball.

For the last several years, Cibulkova has been hampered by a recurring Achilles injury, so it was hardly a surprise that the 30-year Slovak decided to end her career. In announcing her retirement, Cibulkova also announced the publication of her memoir, Tennis Is My Life.

Cibulkova's fiery court presence, her confidence and her easy engagement with fans will be missed. From her gritty determination to her signature "Pome!," she added excitement to every match she played.
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Sunday, November 10, 2019

Mladenovic leads France to 2019 Fed Cup victory



Kiki Mladenovic has a beautiful game. She has a tricky and effective serve, expert volleying skills (she is, after all, an elite doubles player), and a variety of shots that can do a lot of damage to almost any opponent. That's the up side. The down side is the Frenchwoman's well-known inconsistency, which appears to be brought on by nerves. Without a partner by her side, Mladenovic can sometimes crumble.

In this weekend's Fed Cup final, in which Team France played Team Australia, Mladenovic did crumble for a while, and it almost cost her the match. But she pulled herself together and won a tense, highly entertaining contest against world number 1 Ash Barty.

On day 1, France got off to a positive start when Mladenovic defeated Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 6-1 in the opening rubber. Not to be outdone, Ash Barty rolled over Caroline Garcia 6-0, 6-0 in the second rubber.

Day 2 was a different story. The third rubber was the aforementioned match that featured Mladenovic and Barty, and it was as thrilling a match as one could hope for. Both players served well, and--here is a rather unusual occurrence--both players displayed exceptionally good second serves. Barty won the first set 6-2, but Mladenovic became very focused in the second set; at the same time, Barty made a lot of unforced errors. 

The tension in the crowd (there was a very big--and loud--French contingent) was palpable during the final set, and the players lived up to the implications of that atmosphere. Mladenovic took an early lead but was broken. The opponents broke each twice during the set, providing constant momentum changes. About two-thirds of the way through, Mladenovic had her meltdown, and it looked like Australia was about to take a 2-1 lead. But the mercurial Frenchwoman gathered herself, took advantage of Barty's unforced error production, and the set wound up exactly where it belonged--in a tiebreak.

This time, Mladenovic did not crumble. Rather, she ran away, 7-1, with the tiebreak, and put France ahead 2-1.

 

Australia evened the score when Tomljanovic defeated Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 7-5 (I wish Cornet had played that rubber).

The fifth rubber featured something we don't get to see that often in Fed Cup play: All four competitors were elite doubles players. Playing for Australia were former world number 1 and three-time major champion Sam Stosur, and former U.S. Open champion Ash Barty. France was represented by former French Open champion Caroline Garcia and three-time major champion Kiki Mladenovic, Garcia and Mladenovic have frequently played as partners, and won the French Open in 2016.

The French team won the first set 6-4, then went up 2-0 in the second, having won four games in a row. The third game was a close one, but the French team broke and went up 3-0. The Australian team closed the break gap at 2-4. At 2-5, the Australians were almost broken, but they saved two match points. Mladenovic then served for the final, double-faulted on the second point, but--once again--composed herself and successfully served for the championship on France's third match point.

This is the third time that France has won the Fed Cup championship. They defeated The Netherlands in 1997, and the USA in 2003. Captain Amelie Mauresmo brought the team very close in 2016, but France lost that final to the Czech Republic. Now it is new Captain Julien Benneteau who has coached the French team to Fed Cup glory once again. However, it is Kiki Mladenovic's coup du chapeau that will be remembered as the mighty force that brought the Fed Cup trophy back to France.
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Sunday, November 3, 2019

Ash Barty gives a world number 1 performance in Shenzhen

 

We see it so many times--a big server (or, in this case, someone who has recently become a much bigger server) serves her way to a final and then can't find her serve. It happened again today at the WTA Finals when defending champion Elina Svitolina (who served a total of 27 aces in her previous two matches) suddenly lost her ability to serve her way out of trouble. Trouble, in this case, was world number 1 Ash Barty, who repeatedly flummoxed Svitolina with slices, volleys--and her own very good serve.

This was the first time, in six tries, that Barty has beaten Svitolina.

Barty, who ends the season as world number 1, was the top seed in Shenzhen, and--with her 6-4, 6-3 victory over Svitolina today--she is now the champion of the 2019 WTA Finals. Barty's season included the championships in Miami and Birmingham, and--of course--the French Open championship. Barty is an all-round athlete--she's fit, she's fast, she's steady, and she's clever. And, though we haven't been focused on it lately, she's also an outstanding doubles competitor.

 

The trophy ceremony gave us some special moments. We learned that chair umpire Mariana Alves has retired, and will now work as a supervisor for the WTA, which is a good thing because she will continue to be part of the world of women's professional tennis. The announcement nevertheless made me a bit sad.

The other special moment was the appearance of WTA Finals ambassador Aga Radwanska, who looked stunning, and who presented the runner-up bouquet to Svitolina.

 

While Svitolina was unable to defend her title, Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic did defend theirs, with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova. Babos and Mladenovic are the first team since Black and Huber in 2007-2008 to defend the title.

For Babos, it was a hat trick: She won the 2017 WTA Finals with Andrea Hlavackova-Sestini. The last player to do that was Lindsay Davenport, who pulled it off in 1996-1998, with three different partners.


There is also some sweet consolation for Strycova, who ends the season as the number 1 doubles player in the world.
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Saturday, November 2, 2019

Top seed to face 8th seed in Shenzhen final

 

Poetically speaking, what better outcome could we have from this topsy-turvy WTA Finals event than to have the last two players standing be the highest-ranked and the lowest-ranked seeds? 8th seed and defending champion Elina Svitolina defeated 7th seed Belinda Bencic in the semifinals today when Bencic retired, because of a leg injury, in the third set.

There were eight players and two alternates. Three players--Naomi Osaka, Bianca Andreescu and Belinda Bencic--went out with injuries, and one alternate--Kiki Bertens--retired in her second match because of illness.

In today's second semifinal, top seed Ash Barty defeated 2nd seed Karolina Pliskova 4-2, 6-2, 6-3.

In doubles, 3rd seeds and defending champions Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic defeated 7th seeds Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai 1-6, 6-4, 10-8. In the second match, 2nd seeds Hsieh Su-Wei and Barbora Strycova defeated Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Demi Schuurs 6-1, 6-2.

There is a possibility that all of last year's champions will be this year's champions, adding yet another odd twist to this event.

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Friday, November 1, 2019

Four still standing


 

When we talk about "still standing" at the WTA finals, it isn't entirely a metaphor. First Naomi Osaka withdrew because of a shoulder injury, then Bianca Andreescu--who appeared to have a back injury--retired because of a knee injury. Alternate Kiki Bertens took excellent advantage of her status by defeating top seed Ash Barty, but then had to retire in her next match because of illness (which brings back very sad memories of the French Open).

Second alternate Sofia Kenin played today, and what a match it was. She and defending champion Elina Svitolina went at each other in a way that was captivating to watch. The second set tiebreak was a show in itself, with Kenin (who held a set point) saving five match points. But Svitolina was successful on the sixth, and defeated Kenin 7-5, 7-6. Despite losing, Kenin showed yet again why she has rapidly risen up the rankings ladder: She's a good hitter with a variety of shots from which to choose, and she just doesn't give up.

In today's second match, Karolina Pliskova defeated an out-of-sorts Simona Halep in three sets. The Romanian was bageled in the first set, but bolstered by a no-nonsense talk from coach Darren Cahill, she grabbed the second set. Pliskova, however, was just too good in the end.

And speaking of the end--Halep dashed (as only Halep can) to pick up a ball Pliskova had hit into the far ad corner, and she was able to get it over the net, setting up a smash for her opponent. But that smash went awry and hit the top of the net--and then dropped over, giving the Tall Cool One the victory, 6-0, 2-6, 6-4.

In a rather odd (when are the WTA Finals not odd?) semifinal outcome, seeds 7 and 8 will compete in one match, and seeds 1 and 2 will compete in the other:

Belinda Bencic (7) vs. Elina Svitolina (8)
Ashleigh Barty (1) vs. Karolina Pliskova (2)

In doubles,  Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic defeated top seeds Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka, and Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Demi Schuurs defeated Chan Hao-Ching and Latisha Chan. Here is the doubles semifinal draw:

Babos/Mladenovic (3) vs. Stosur/Zhang (7)
Hsieh/Strycova (2) vs. Groenefeld/Schuurs (8)
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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

WTA Finals getting more interesting



I doubt if anyone was surprised when 4th seed Bianca Andreescu retired today after the first set in her WTA Finals round robin match against Karolina Pliskova. The U.S. Open champion has a back injury that was evident when she lost to Simona Halep a few days ago; today, though, she had top stop playing because of a knee injury. But Andreescu isn't alone; yesterday, 3rd seed Naomi Osaka withdrew from the event and was replaced by first alternate Kiki Bertens. Bertens wasted no time, and knocked out top seed Ash Barty in straight sets.

Today, 8the seed and defending champion Elina Svitolina, playing in the purple group, defeated Simona Halep in straight sets, and became the first of the eight competitors to reach the semifinals.

Here is the current state of both the singles and doubles draws:

SINGLES

Red Group

Ashleigh Barty (1): 1-1
Naomi Osaka (3): 1-0, withdrawn from tournament
Belinda Bencic (7): 1-1
Petra Kvitova (6): 0-2
Kiki Bertens (1st alternate): 1-0

Purple Group

Elina Svitolina* (8): 2-0
Simona Halep (5): 1-1
Karolina Pliskova (2): 1-1
Bianca Andreescu (4): 0-2, withdrawn from tournament

DOUBLES

Red Group

Groenefeld/Schuurs (8): 1-1
Mertens/Sabalenka (1): 1-1
Babos/Mladenovic** (3): 2-0
Chan/Chan (5): 0-2

Purple Group

Hsieh/Strycova (2): 2-0
Stosur/Zhang (7): 2-0
Krejcikova/Siniakova (6): 1-1
Dabrowski/Xu (4): 0-2

*defending champion
**defending champions
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Sunday, October 27, 2019

World number 1 Barty off to a good start in Shenzhen




Ash Barty came from a set down today to defeat Belinda Bencic at the WTA Finals in Shenzen. Barty has now captured the year-end number 1 ranking, and is the first non-USA, non-European player in history to do so. The match marked the first time that Barty and Bencic had ever played each other.

Here is the singles draw:

 RED GROUP

Asheigh Barty (1)
Naomi Osaka (3)
Petra Kvitova (6)
Belinda Bencic (7)

PURPLE GROUP

Karolina Pliskova (2)
Bianca Andreescu (4)
Simona Halep (5)
Elina Svitolina (8)

In the other Red Group match, Naomi Osaka defeated Petra Kvitova, also in three sets. This was the first time the two had met since Osaka defeated Kvitova in the (for many of us, heartbreaking) 2019 Australian Open final.

Kvitova and Svitolina are the only players of the eight who have won the WTA Finals (2011 and 2018, respectively); Halep reached the final in 2014 but lost to Serena Williams. Both Kvitova and Halep reached the final in their debut WTA Finals appearances. Kvitova is one of only four women to win the event in her debut appearance.

Halep, incidentally, is the only one of the final eight who does not have a losing record against any of the other players.

In doubles, Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova defeated Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai, and Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated Gabriela Dabrowski and Xu Yi-fan.

Here is the doubles draw:

RED GROUP

Elise Mertens/Aryna Sabalenka (1)
Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic (3)
Chan Hao-Ching/Latisha Chan (5)
Anna-Lena Groenefeld/Demi Schuurs (8)

 PURPLE GROUP

Barbora Strycova/Hsieh Su-wei (2)
Gabriela Dabrowski/Xu Yi-fan (4)
Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (6)
Samantha Stosur/Zhang Shuai (7)

Babos and Mladenovic won the WTA Finals in 2018.
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Sunday, September 22, 2019

The G.O.A.T. in the living room


There are a lot of tennis discussions that turn me off, but perhaps none tires me as much as the one entitled "Who is the greatest player of all time?"

There are a couple of reasons why I thoroughly dislike this discussion:

1. There is no way to measure such a thing.

Who decides what factors come together to determine who is the "greatest"? Does it involve winning majors (more on that in a moment)? Or does it involve the totality of a player's career--winning majors in different categories, remaining in the top 10 over a period of time, winning Fed Cup titles, etc.? There is no objective method of measuring such greatness.

Many people, however, believe that the number of singles majors won is an objective measurement. It is not. First, it doesn't take into account other achievements, such as those mentioned above. And perhaps even more significant, it isn't valid. Back when such outstanding players as Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were playing, winning majors was not the be-all and end-all as it is now.

Consider, for example, that many top players skipped the Australian Open because it was held during the Christmas holidays. Consider that Chris Evert skipped three French Opens (and she would surely have won at least one of them, and probably all three) to play World Team Tennis. (Consider that Rod Laver was not even permitted to play in several majors.)

Players of different eras simply cannot be compared, yet people insist on comparing them. I recall someone on Twitter once saying "'Could have, would have' doesn't count." She missed the point entirely. The values were different, the rules were different, the schedules were different. More recently, someone on Twitter told me that "there has to be a gold standard for a sport." No there does not, and that brings me to:

2. Why does it matter? 

The obsession with choosing the "best" anything is something I don't understand. Not only is it objectively impossible, it reflects an obsessive desire to idealize something or someone to the detriment of appreciating so many similar things or people. I have no desire to determine whether a particular player is (or was) the greatest player of all time; it means nothing to me. I also have no desire to determine whether a player was the greatest of her era, even if there were objective criteria.

I much prefer to appreciate players for their outstanding contributions--as champions, as shot-makers, as surface specialists, as Fed Cup stars, as leaders. Too many discussions revolve around the G.O.A.T., a mythical creature whose existence serves to create pressure on players, to rely on the use of unreliable statistics, and to bring out the worst kind of fan over-identification.
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Sunday, September 8, 2019

My U.S. Open top 10





Here, in ascending order, are my top 10 U.S. Open happenings:

10. Higher and higher depths: Having ESPN Plus is a great thing--first, because one can choose among all of the matches being played, but also because the commentary, though certainly not perfect (too many mispronunciations), is way better than the mess that is on ESPN. But as the tournament winds down, the ESPN commentary team is all that's left for the big matches (besides wheelchair and juniors), so we're stuck with it.

We were subject to the exceedingly annoying fake dramatics of Tom Rinaldi. Then there was the rush to turn interviews with Elina Svitolina into discussions of Gael Monfils (Chris McEndry, to her credit, tried to put a stop to this). Of course, there was the usual list of mispronunciations (and hey--U.S. Open, maybe your match announcer could learn how to pronounce the players' names?), and who knows how many minutes' worth of useless comments.

During the final, Chris Fowler kept repeating that Andreescu's victory was "unbelievable." This stuck me as odd since I had picked her as the most likely player to win the tournament. Do these people even watch tennis? Best of all, though, was Chris Evert's assertion that a player had reached "higher and higher depths"--and that is exactly how I would describe ESPN.

9. Still hot: Coco Gauff made it to the third round, defeating Anastasia Potapova and Timea Babos. She was done in by Naomi Osaka, who allowed her only three games, but Coco, at 15, is still quite impressive.

8. Tennis in the age of You-Know-What: I used to think of the U.S. Open crowd as an example that should be followed by, say, the French crowd, which can be really rude--or the British and Australian crowds, which can be really sexist. But the crowd at this year's Open was a disgrace. People sauntered in and forced the players to wait before serving. They yelled both during points and just as a player was serving. They applauded faults. They were horrible.

 7. You'll remember me this time: Taylor Townsend has game, and serious tennis fans know it. The 23-year-old U.S. player was a standout in juniors, but--as is so often the case--her junior accomplishments did not translate to the tour (the USTA did her no favors, either). But Townsend had a memorable U.S. Open experience, taking out Wimbledon champion Simona Halep in the second round, then giving eventual champion Bianca Andreescu a head-turning fight when she continued her habit of rushing the net--over and over. She took a set off of Andreescu, too, but was unable to stop her in her pursuit of the title.

6. Patience is a virtue:  27-year-old Kristie Ahn, ranked 141 in the world, got a wild card into the U.S. Open main draw this year. Eleven years ago, she got in through qualifying, but lost in the first round. That was the last time she was able to get through qualifying. Ahn, realizing the importance of the occasion, gave that wild card a workout. In the first round, she took out 2004 U.S. Open champion and 2019 Cincinnati runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova. In round 2, she defeated the talented Anna Kalinskaya, and in the third round, Ahn defeated 2017 French Open champion Alona Ostapenko. She kost to eventual semifinalist Elise Mertens in the next round, but the drama of the Stanford graduate's U.S. Open run was one of the best stories of the event.

 5. Diede de Great just got greater: Top wheelchair singles seed Diede de Groot got quite a fight from 2nd seed Yui Kamiji in the final, but she prevailed, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, and in doing so, defended her 2018 title. de Groot has now won seven singles majors (last year, she just missed attaining a Grand Slam), and has completed a Career Slam in both singles and doubles.

de Groot and her partner, Aniek Van Koot, the top doubles seeds, also won the doubles title, defeating Sabine Ellerbrock and Kgothatso Montjane in straight sets in the final. This is de Groot's third consecutive U.S. Open doubles victory.

4. Miss USA with knee socks: We like to talk about the inspiring qualities of tennis players who overcome great obstacles, yet often missing from that conversation is perhaps the queen of overcoming obstacles--Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Mattek-Sands has fallen down (sometimes literally) and gotten up so many times, yet she always returns to the court to play her old-school brand of tennis. At the U.S. Open--where she wore a pop Americana kit, one of my favorite BMS outfits of all time--she and partner Jamie Murray defended their mixed doubles title. And they did it by upsetting top seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Michael Venus in straight sets.

3. So close: Serena Williams, after returning from giving birth to her daughter, made a run to the 2018 Wimbledon final and was defeated by Angie Kerber (she said that one didn't count because of the state of her body). She then lost the 2018 U.S. Open final to Naomi Osaka, and the 2019 Wimbledon final to Simona Halep. This time around, she lost the U.S. Open final to Bianca Andreescu.

Clearly, there is pressure on Williams that has never existed before, and that pressure has to do with her advancing age and her quest to achieve a statistic that has many fans in a frenzy. There's no doubt that Williams is playing extremely well (though it's also unfair to assume that she would win every final if she were in a calmer state of mind). The Serena Watch will be intense in 2020, as the great champion seeks to win more majors.

2. Fire and ice: Elise Mertens had success with her former doubles partner and long-time friend, Demi Schuurs, but the they split because the Belgian star wanted to concentrate on her singles career and didn't want to commit to playing doubles at every event (Schuurs plays doubles only). So Mertens teamed with Aryna Sabalenka and this year, they won the Sunshine Double. Now, they've won the U.S. Open, defeating Ash Barty and Vika Azarenka in the final. The calm, low-key personality of Mertens combines well with the intense, sometimes goofy, persona of Sabalenka.




 1. She the North/She the Boss: I don't know why anyone is surprised (certainly some commentators were) that Bianca Andreescu won the U.S. Open. Her victory certainly didn't seem inevitable to me, but it did seem very highly likely. The 19-year-old Canadian deserves the title "phenom" more than anyone I can recall in a long time. It's hard to describe Andreescu because she is so many things--a good server, hard-hitting, dramatic, inventive, instinctive, and mentally tough (while not always seeming to be so).

As I noted earlier in the week, I was concerned that Andreescu's perhaps unconscious need to have problems to solve would get her into trouble. But as the tournament progressed, she became more proficient at solving those problems. Also, after watching her for a while, it becomes clear that what may appear to be Andreescu's "frustration" face is more like her 'I have to figure this out" face.

A year ago, most people had never heard of the Canadian star; she wasn't even in the top 200. At the beginning of this season, she held a ranking of 153. Then she won Indian Wells. And then, in Miami, she sustained a shoulder injury which kept her off of the tour for a few months. Andreescu's junior career was plagued with injuries, and one hopes that she'll figure out a way to keep them at a minimum.

When she did return to the tour, it wasn't long before Andreescu won the Rogers Cup, defeating Serena Williams in the final when Williams had to retire. So there was a certain poetic satisfaction in having the two of them meet in the U.S. Open final. Now, Andreescu is the first Canadian in history to win a singles major

By now, most fans have heard that, when she was a kid, Andreescu wrote herself a U.S. Open prize money check (she didn't cash it, of course; rather, she added to the amount every year, to match the annual increase). This is akin to a young Roger Federer's having practiced falling to his knees in anticipation of one day winning Wimbledon. It is a mindset which few have. Andreescu credits her mother, Maria, with helping her to develop it. Such a skill is supposedly available to all of us, but few are able to live it. So far, Bibi Andreescu has shown quite a mastery of it.
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Saturday, September 7, 2019

"TRICKS ARE FOR...KIDS": Bianca Andreescu turns her U.S. Open debut into a championship victory

 

"You look ready"
 
19-year-old Bianca (Bibi) Andreescu, making her debut at the U.S. Open, today defeated Serena Williams in a major final, as she took out the six-time champion 6-3, 7-5. Playing in only her fourth major main draw, the young Canadian woman--for a set and a half--looked as though she were going to break her come-from-behind, do-it-the-hard-way habits. But, as it turned out, they were exactly what she had to produce to overcome Williams.

"You and I have unfinished business"

Andreescu and Williams were involved in a big final earlier this summer in Toronto at the Rogers Cup, but it was not really played because Williams had to retire in the middle of the first set. We didn't get to see what could transpire between them during a match until today.

 "Do you believe you are my match?"

Andreescu, who easily vacillates between looking really chill and looking like a bundle of nerves, came out in chill form and immediately broke Williams. The seventh game of the first set was intense, lasting ten minutes, with a double break on the line. Williams saved five break points to keep the score close, but Andreescu wound up winning the set 6-3.

"You have every right to want to get even"

The second set was when it got crazy. Andreescu came out for it exactly as she did in the first set, totally dominating her opponent. Williams's serve, usually the best in the business, was off, and even when it was "on," she was getting explosive returns, the likes of which she doesn't see that much. Andreescu went up 5-1.

"You didn't think it was gonna be that easy, did you?"

The Canadian star served for the match and held a match point, and that's when Williams blew the whole thing up, winning four straight games, and looking for all the world like the Serena who has won 23 majors by doing whatever she had to do. Suddenly, it was 5-all, and it looked like a third set was probably in Andreescu's future (as it so often is). Meanwhile, while Williams was undergoing a total change in accuracy, confidence and body language, her opponent began to wilt. We saw the "bundle of nerves" version of Andreescu.

But, much as she had done against Belinda Bencic, the Canadian upstart prevented the agony of a third set by winning the next two games and defeating Williams 6-3, 7-5. In doing so, she became the first Canadian to win a major.

"...you're a killer, a natural born killer"

Everything about Bibi Andreescu's tennis is jaw-dropping. She began the year as number 152 in the world, and next week, she'll be number 5. Pretty much out of nowhere, she won Indian Wells in March, then had to retire in Miami and was out for several months because of a shoulder injury. She missed both the French Open and Wimbledon. Then she popped back up and won the Rogers Cup, looking as though she had never gone away.

Any time a player, young or "old," reaches a major final for the first time, we expect her to have to confront nerves. And nerves often do a first-time major finalist in. When Andreescu got tight in the second set, I thought, "Well, we'll go to a third, and she'll overcome it, just like she always does." But she overcame it sooner, just as she did in her semifinal match. In other words, during the U.S. Open, the Canadian star seems to have become even scarier in terms of her mentality.

Holding this kind of nerve and mindset--even when you feel shaky--is a special gift. Chris Evert had it. Justine Henin had it. Serena Williams has it. And Bibi Andreescu certainly has it. I think that her main concern will be to stay healthy; she has quite a tendency to get injured. She's now traveling with a physio, however, which is a good decision on her part. 


 

In the meantime, the great Serena Williams doesn't look to be going anywhere, and we should continue to see her in big matches. Powerful new blood is pulsing through the tour, though, with Naomi Osaka, Ash Barty, Bianca Andreescu, and a few others who are fighting to get their turn.

With her very good serve, powerful groundstrokes, mental toughness, amazing improvisational skills, and vast shot variety, Bibi Andreescu stands out as a force with which to be reckoned. Yes, #ShetheNorth, but I think she's so much more.


 

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Friday, September 6, 2019

A look at the draw on day 12 of the U.S. Open

Though it's hard to keep one's mind off of the singles drama, there are other matches being played at the U.S. Open. Here's a breakdown of where everything is, as of today:

Doubles

4th seeds Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka just defeated Caroline Dolehide (a day after her 21st birthday) and Vania King 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in a highly entertaining match. It was great to see King on the court again, and to see her go all the way to the semifinals. In the final, Mertens and Sabalenka will face 8th seeds Vika Azarenka and Ash Barty. Mertens also made it to the quarterfinals in singles. Barty is the defending champion; she and CoCo Vandeweghe won the event last year.

Mixed Doubles

Top seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Michael Venus will play Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray in the final. To reach the final, Chan had to defeat her sister, Chan Yung-Jan, and her partner, Ivan Dodig.

Wheelchair Singles

Play begins later today. Diede De Groot is the top seed, and her quarterfinal opponent will be Sabine Ellerbrock. De Groot is the defending champion.

Wheelchair Doubles

Top seeds Diede De Groot and Aniek Van Koot have reached the final, in which they will play Sabine Ellerbrock and Kgothatso Monjane. Van Koot is the defending champion, and she also won the event in 2017. Van Koot won the event in 2013 and 2015.

Junior Singles

Third round play has concluded. The highest seed remaining is Zheng Qinwen, who is seeded 5th.

Junior Doubles

Quarterfinal play has concluded.

I have already covered women's singles here. 15th seed Bianca Andreescu, playing in her first U.S. Open, will face off against six-time champion Serena Williams in the final.
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The Upstart vs. The Queen--and would you want it any other way?




Back in 1999, an amazing upstart named Serena Williams won the first of her six U.S. Open titles. She was 17 years old. Bianca Andreescu, on the other hand, was yet to be born (that would happen around nine months later). And if Williams was an upstart, Andreescu--who will face Serena in the 2019 U.S. Open women's singles final on Saturday--is something beyond an upstart.


 

It doesn't surprise me at all that these are the last two women standing in Flushing Meadows; in fact, I expected it. After all, Serena is Serena, and Bianca, or "Bibi," is a peculiar force of nature who--so far--defies classification. This is her U.S. Open debut, and I suppose she wanted to make it last as long as possible because here she is, in the final. That alone, is a head-turning fact. But there's more: Since undertaking her pro career, Andreescu is 7-0 against top 10 players. Consider also that, when the season began, the 19-year-old Canadian was ranked 152 in the world. Next week, she'll be in the top 10.

But back to Serena. Last night, she dismantled the game of Elina Svitolina with a kind of surgical skill. She had plenty of help from the Ukrainian star, who--after getting a quick taste of her opponent's resolve in the opening two games--faded (literally) into the background. Svitolina, who is as fast of foot as anyone on the tour, and clever, to boot, was simply not able to combine her skills to put together a fight plan against Williams. It didn't help her cause that Serena was serving in top form.

It wasn't that she didn't have opportunities, but Svitolina failed to convert any of the six break points given to her throughout the match. Williams got the job done in a little over an hour, and walked away with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

Much more dramatic was the second semifinal, which featured former phenom Belinda Bencic and current phenom (to say the least) Andreescu. Both were playing in their first major semifinal, and their straight sets match had just about everything for which fans could hope. (Unfortunately, it had too much, as  the U.S. Open crowd continued to provide an alarming display of rudeness.)

This was one of those matches about which one needs to say "You had to be there" (literally, or watching on television). Because what transpired was a kind of trickery that even the great Aga Radwanska would find impressive. It didn't involve trick shots (thought there were a few of those), but rather, it involved what we might call a "trick mindset" on the part of the Canadian star. Belinda Bencic clearly led the first set. She was aggressive, she was consistent, and--most important--she was ahead. But if you're Bibi Andreescu, you consider that a minor detail that can be brushed away at the right time.

Andreescu saved all of the six break points that she faced in the first set, and, for good measure, she saved a set point. That put the set--which was on the Swiss player's racket--to a tiebreak, and before you could say Abracadabra, Alakazam, I'm Bibi the Beast, I am! Andreescu was up 5-0. She won the tiebreak 7-3.

Bencic, though, would have none of it. Rather than retreat into the corner, she came out fighting in the second set, and with her shot variety and her keen anticipatory ability, was able to flummox her opponent and take a 5-2 lead.

I suppose, at this point, we might say "Andreescu had her opponent right where she wanted her," for--as I wrote a couple of days ago--the Canadian woman thrives on problem-solving, and even participates in creating some of her problems. In her press conference, Andreescu said that when she was one game short of losing the second set, she knew she didn't want the match to extend to three sets. And so, just like that, she won five straight games, taking the set (and the match) at 7-5. Because that's the Andreescu way.

And as entertaining as that method may be for fans, it could be Andreescu's undoing against Serena Williams in a major final. When you're playing Serena, there's little time for performing side shows. Serena's serve is too good, and her returns are too good.

Andreescu says that she utilizes meditation and visualization to enhance her game. Today would be a good day for her to do a quick scan of her unconscious mind and perhaps focus on ways to win that don't involve making a dramatic comeback from a down position. She has skills galore, but against Williams, she'll need the ones that put her in the lead and keep her there.

Here are the players' paths to the final:

BIANCA ANDREESCU (15)
round 1--def. Katie Volynets
round 2--def. Kirsten Flipkens
round 3--def. Caroline Wozniacki (15)
round of 16--def. Taylor Townsend (Q)
quarterfinals--def. Elise Mertens (25)
semifinals--def. Belinda Bencic (13)

SERENA WILLIAMS (8)
round 1--def. Maria Sharapova
round 2--def. Caty McNally (W)
round 3--def. Karolina Muchova
round of 16--def. Petra Martic (22)
quarterfinals--def. Wang Qiang (18)
semifinals--def. Elina Svitolina (5)
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Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Andreescu and Bencic advance to U.S. Open semifinals



A very long time ago, when I was in the public relations profession, I had a very gifted boss who would often round us up at the last minute to work on projects, and there was usually a lot of pressure. I kind of thrived on the pressure for a while, but I didn't care for the direction my career was taking, so I left and started my own shop. Not long after I made this move, one of our clients called me and asked me to take over the account.

I protested that I didn't think I could because it was so chaotic and there was so much pressure involved. No, the client told me, it's really pretty easy--she made it that way. I accepted the invitation, and yes, it turned out to be pretty easy. That was when I realized that my former boss thrived on chaos, and wasn't happy unless she and everyone around her were working under intense pressure.

Watching Bianca Andreescu has made me think of this lesson from long ago. Andreescu is many things, and one of them is that she is a very impressive problem-solver. But I'm getting suspicious that she may need a problem in order to come alive and play her best tennis. She may even need to participate in creating a problem.

We know that she's injury-prone, which isn't a good sign. She also has quite an on-court temper, but that could (and probably will) subside as she gets older. For someone with as much talent and intuition as Andreescu possesses, she certainly brings with her a lot of complications.

Tonight, in her quarterfinal, she appeared flat in the first set, as her opponent, Elise Mertens masterfully took it, 6-3. It seemed almost inevitable, though, that the "problem" of losing the first set would ignite the young Canadian--and it did. She went on to win the match 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Earning a spot in the semifinals is pretty good for someone playing in her first U.S. Open.

I was thinking and talking about Dinara Safina today, so she is on my mind. On Women Who Serve, the Russian star was known by the nickname, "Thrill Ride" because she couldn't seem to win a match unless she had taken herself (and the rest of us) to the edge. Andreescu is hardly the bundle of nerves that Safina was, but she does have a touch of Thrill Ride in her, which I don't think it will serve her very well in the long run.



Earlier in the day, two close friends who are also former phenoms faced each other for a spot in the U.S. Open semifinals. Belinda  Bencic and Donna Vekic--who both had to take the long way around in order to begin to meet their often-touted potentials--did not disappoint. It was a well-played match, with both women serving well. Bencic won, 7-6, 6-3, but Vekic performed well.

Bencic is another one with a temper problem. I haven't seen much of her during the U.S. Open, but when I have seen her, I haven't noticed any episodes of anger. It isn't that episodes of anger are bad--but common sense informs us that they can be harmful if chronic because of the energy they drain from a player.

Here is the singles semifinal draw:

Belina Bencic (13) vs. Bianca Andreescu (15)
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Serena Williams (8)

In doubles, Kuzmova and Sasnovich upset 3rd seeds Dabrowski and Xu. Also upset were 14th seeds Kichenok and Ostapenko, who were defeated by Dolehide and King.

Still alive in doubles is Elise Mertens, who--with partner Aryna Sabalenka--has advanced to the semifinals. Mertens and Sabalenka are seeded 4th.

In mixed doubles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray have advanced to the final (def. Stosur/Ram), in which they will play either top seeds Chan Hao-Ching and Michael Venus or 4th seeds Latisha Chan and Ivan Dodig.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The mighty Serena logs 100 U.S. Open match wins



It took Serena Williams just 44 minutes to defeat Wang Qiang 6-1, 6-0 in tomight's U.S. Open quarterfinal match. Wang is a very good player, but there was nothing she could do about Williams. The 8th seed hit 25 winners (Wang hit zero winners), and had a first serve win percentage of 90. Case closed.

Williams' next opponent will be 5th seed Elina Svitolina, who defeated Jo Konta 6-4, 6-4 earlier today. Williams is 4-1 against Svitolina, and 2-1 against her on hard courts. Until this year, Svitolina had never gotten beyond the quarterfinals of a major, despite her very winning ways on the tour. But she made it to the semifinals at Wimbledon (she was defeated by eventual champion Simona Halep), and now she has made it to the semifinals in New York.

Svitolina will have her work cut out for her with Williams, who is playing at peak form, and who thrives at majors. However, the Ukrainian player is highly unlikely to be intimidated by either the opponent or the occasion, and she could give Williams a fight.

Today, when Pam Shriver interviewed Svitolina, she twice referred to "the Ukraine." This is an ongoing problem with both Tennis Channel and ESPN commentators and interviewers. A couple of years ago some of us corrected Leif Shiras, who then Tweeted a lame, self-serving "apology," then went on to repeatedly refer to the country as "the Ukraine."

They are not alone. Both guest Rep. Maxine Waters and host Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC have recently insulted the country in this way. The Soviet Union fell a long time ago, but I should lower my expectations (after all, people are still calling flight attendants "stewardesses").

Words matter!


Tomorrow's seminfals will feature Belina Bencic (13) vs. Donna Vekic (23) and Bianca Anreescu (15) vs. Elise Mertens (25).

 In doubles, top seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic were upset by 8th seeds Vika Azarenka and Ash Barty.
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Sunday, September 1, 2019

2nd and 3rd seeds out of U.S. Open

 

Ash Barty, seeded number 2 at the U.S. Open, was knocked out of the event today by Wang Qiang, whose game has steadily gotten better and better this year, allowing the 18h seeded Chinese player's game to reach a crescendo in Flushing Meadows. Barty was a mass of errors, while Wang was efficient and mentally tough, defeating Barty 6-2, 6-4.

Karolina Pliskova, the 3rd seed, hasn't looked quite right throughout this tournament (and even in Cincinnati). She got off to a slow start against 16th seed Jo Konta, who had a healthy lead throughout most of the first set. Somehow, Pliskova caught up, the set went to a tiebreak, and then--almost out of nowhere--the Czech star stormed through, allowing her opponent only one point. It was as if she did it with mirrors.

That must have been discouraging for the Brit, but Konta won the second set 6-3, and went on to win the third 7-5.

8th seed Serena Williams, serving up a storm, defeated Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4. It's a nice trend, however, to see Martic making these second week appearances in majors.

Finally, speedy Elina Svitolina turned into big-serving speedy Elina Svitolina tonight, and defeated Madison Keys 7-5, 6-4. It was a masterful performance from the 5th seed, who has long needed a good serve to go with the rest of her game. Tonight, a first serve win percentage of 92 spoke volumes. Of course, we have seen WTA players suddenly serve really well and then not replicate that skill in the next match. Here's hoping that Svitolina has actually developed a reliable good serve.

In doubles, the 7th-seeded Chan sisters were upset by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Anastasija Sevastova. The big news in doubles, however, was that Coco Gauff and Caty McNally upset 9th seeds Nicole Melichar and Kveta Peschke.
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Saturday, August 31, 2019

Round of 16 set at U.S. Open



Third round play in singles was completed today at the U.S. Open, leaving us with several interesting and/or emotional stories, and a few stories that weren't so pretty.

Anett Kontaveit, suffering with an acute viral illness, gave a walkover to Belinda Bencic, Julia Goerges defeated close friend, Kiki Bertens, in straight sets (it was the first time they had ever competed against each other on a hard court), and Alona Ostapenko made 45 unforced errors in her straight-set defeat by Kristie Ahn.

Ostapenko hit eight aces and twelve double faults. Her insistence on hitting big, flat and into the corners almost every single time has become the undoing of her. As I've said before, Ostapenko sometimes reminds me of a young Petra Kvitova, only Kvitova's serve was better, and she was able to learn how to construct points so that she didn't have to rely on constant wild swinging of her racket. Ostapenko appears to be near implosion, and that is a real shame. She is too talented to let this happen to her.

Donna Vekic defeated Yulia Putintseva in straight sets, Elise Mertens defeated Andrea Petkovic, and Taylor Townsend continued her run with a defeat of Sorana Cirstea.

And then there was Bianca Andreescu, who defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 in a match that was fun to watch. The Canadian star had a dip in the second set, and it looked like we were going to be treated to a third set, but Andreescu would have none of it. The variety of her shot-making--some of which she appears to make up on the fly--is stunning. Even when she's in an awkward court position, she figures out a way to get the ball back, often as a winner (remember the overhead drop shot at the Rogers Cup).

The night match featured defending champion and top seed Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. I canceled my roller derby plans (last home bout of the season) to stay home and watch this match, and--while I didn't expect it to be a thriller--I was hoping for a little more than I got. Osaka won, 6-3, 6-0, and what followed had fans and the media expressing some strong, even tearful, emotions. Osaka asked Gauff to stay on the court and participate in the post-match interview.

The problem is that Gauff didn't want to stay on court. She wanted to go to the locker room and cry, and I think she should have been permitted to do so. I understand Osaka's gesture, though, which was coming from a place of generosity. But what really troubles me was ESPN's Mary Joe Fernandez telling Gauff to "wipe those tears away," which is a terrible thing to tell a person who is crying. The whole thing made me really uncomfortable, but I am obviously in the minority.

Here is the round of 16 draw:

Naomi Osaka (1) vs. Belinda Bencic (13)
Donna Vekic (23) vs. Julia Goerges (26)
Taylor Townsend (Q) vs. Bianca Andreescu (15)
Kristie Ahn (W) vs. Elise Mertens (25)
Elina Svitolina (5) vs. Madison Keys (10)
Jo Konta (16) vs. Karolina Pliskova (3)
Serena Williams (8) vs. Petra Martic (22)
Wang Qiang (18) vs. Ash Barty (2)

In doubles, top seeds Timea Babos and Kiki Mladenovic advanced to the third round, as did Vika Azarenka and Ash Barty.
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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Things are getting interesting

 

Where to start?! I suppose with the news that Wimbledon champion and 4th seed Simona Halep is out of the U.S. Open in the second round, defeated by Taylor Townsend, who went into a serve-and-volley frenzy and overcame Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-6. This was Townsend's first top-10 win, and she was understandably delighted over it.

That was the big news of the day, but there was other news: 15-year-old Coco Gauff defeated a very in-form Timea Babos, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in a really thrilling night match. That means that Gauff goes to the third round, in which she will face off against top seed Naomi Osaka. This is beyond popcorn, if I can coin a phrase. Fans of either player (or both players) may need something stronger.

Also news: Alona Ostapenko has advanced to the third round! She defeated Alison Riske in straight sets, and will next face off against either 25th seed Elise Mertens or Andrea Petkovic. Petkovic upset 6th seed Petra Kvitova, which was not really a surprise. (It would have been nice if one of the commentators had mentioned the Czech star's forearm injury, which continues to plague her, instead of just talking about how badly she was playing.)

9th seed Aryna Sabalenka was upset by Yulia Putintseva, and 29th seed Hsieh Su-Wei was upset by Karolina Muchova.

15th seed Bianca Andreescu, playing with a seriously taped thigh, won her second round match against Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets, and she looked pretty impressive doing it. Also advancing were Jo Konta, Donna Vekic, Kiki Bertens, Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sakkari, and Anett Kontaveit.
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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Muguruza and Stephens out of U.S. Open, and is anyone really surprised?



Two of the three WTA "chameleons" have been eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open, leaving only Alona Ostapenko, who won a very well-played match (by both opponents) against Aleks Krunic in her opening round. Garbine Muguruza went out to Alison Riske, who has been a picture of confidence lately. 2017 champion Sloane Stephens lost in straight sets to Russian qualifier Anna Kalinskaya, who played with such efficiency and fluidity that it was a pleasure to watch her. This was Kalinskaya's first time to play a match in a major, and she certainly made the most of it.

Kalinskaya, who is ranked number 127 in the world, defeated Viktorija Tomova, Katrina Scott and Asia Muhammad in the qualifying draw. She will face Kristie Ahn in the second round. Ahn won her fisrt-ever victory in a major, and won it against 2004 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova (who was having some medical issues in the match).

Coco Gauff got past a very tough Anastasia Potopova in an entertaining match, and defending champion Naomi Osaka had to go three sets against Anna Blinkova. Belarus's finest--Vika Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka--went at each other with force for over two hours, with Sabalenka emerging as the winner.

The oddest first-round scoreline was Julia Goerges' 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 victory against Natalia Vikhlyantseva. Jo Konta defeated Dasha Kasatkina, Ons Jabeur defeated Caroline Garcia, whose fortunes continue to slide, and Kiki Mladenovic (who is closing in on the Chameleon Club) beat 2016 champion Angie Kerber in straight sets.

Second round play has not been completed, and a rain delay has pushed play back farther than expectxed, but notable so far is that Elina Svitlina has defeated Venus Williams, and that Karolina Pliskova and Madison Keys are through to the third round. Other second round matches of interest include:

Aryna Sabalenka (9) vs. Yulia Putintseva
Caroline Wozniacki (19) vs. Danielle Collins
Alona Ostapenko vs. Alison Riske
Rebecca Peterson vs. Dayana Yastremska (32) (thriller alert!)
Serena Williams (8) vs. Caty McNally
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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Major singles titles and other standings--how it breaks down

I'm not usually one to get into a lot of numbers, but I've been thinking lately about the question: How many major singles titles can the WTA hold at one time? The answer, it turns out, is 55. Here's how it breaks down:

Serena Williams--23
Venus Wiliams--7
Maria Sharapova--5 (Wimbledon, AO, USO, 2 FO)
Angie Kerber--3 (AO, USO, Wimbledon)
Svetlana Kuznetsova--2 (USO, FO)
Vika Azarenka--2 (Australian)
Petra Kvitova--2 (Wimbledon)
Garbine Muguruza--2 (FO, Wimbledon)
Simona Halep--2 (FO, WImbledon)
Naomi Osaka--2 (USO, AO)
Sam Stosur--1 (USO)
Caroline Wozniacki--1 (AO)
Sloane Stephens--1 (USO)
Alona Ostapenko--1 (FO)
Ash Barty--1 (FO)

Soon there will be 56. Who will hold that 56th title?

Here is a list of women on the tour who have been singles runners-up at majors but have yet to win one:

Vera Zvonareva (Wimbledon)
Sara Errani (FO)
Sabine Lisicki (Wimbledon)
Genie Bouchard (Wimbledon)
Madison Keys (USO)
Karolina Pliskova (USO)
Marketa Vondrousova (FO)

Finally, here are the women on the tour who have won Olympic medals in singles:

Venus Williams (gold)
Vera Zvonareva (bronze)
Serena Williams (gold)
Maria Sharapova (silver)
Vika Azarenka (bronze)
Monica Puig (gold)
Angie Kerber (silver)
Petra Kvitova (bronze)
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Saturday, August 24, 2019

Injury (and other) questions loom over U.S. Open draw

Morningside Park (photo by Diane Elayne Dees)

I enjoy the U.S. Open. Too much. Because so many matches are available for me to watch, I sometimes resent that I have to do things like go to work and go to the gym because I am watching the U.S. Open, thank you very much.

The upcoming Open is going to be as interesting, I think, as the other majors were this year. Defending champion Naomi Osaka enters in questionable shape; she retired from her quarterfinal match in Cincinnati because of a leg injury. Simona Halep does enter as a big favorite, but there's a lingering question about her foot. If it has totally healed, her chances are excellent to claim the title.

And, speaking of health, as far as I'm concerned, if she's not injured or doesn't get injured, Bianca Andreescu has as good a chance as anyone of claiming the trophy. The other player who enters as a top contender is French Open champion Ash Barty.

Some players whom we expected to be favorites are not. Kiki Bertens isn't on fire the way she was last year, and Karolina Pliskova--though I still consider her a favorite--has lost some currency. There's quite a bit of talk about former runner-up Madison Keys, who just brilliantly won Cincinnati. With Keys, though, you just never know. Elina Svitolina has yet to win a major, and she's best on hard courts, but her performances are inconsistent, and--at this time--she can't be considered a top contender.

Petra Kvitova has always struggled at the U.S. Open because of her asthma (which is now under better control, but which still makes her vulnerable), but this year, she also has to contend with an injured forearm. In Cincinnati, she said that she was still dealing with occasional swelling, and she wasn't sure whether it was caused by scar tissue, or perhaps an issue involving her wounded hand. She then withdrew from the Bronx tournament. I wouldn't be surprised if Kvitova withdraws from the Open.

And then there's Serena Williams, who has historically had a hard time at the Open--not playing it, but staying within a circle of calm. We know never to count her out, but how much should we count her in? Unfortunately, before she even steps onto a court, there's drama surrounding her. First, there's the matter of last year's final and the fact that the media continues to deconstruct it. Granted, it was an unfortunate and complex event, but the continuing preoccupation with it is tiresome.

And as if that weren't enough, Williams' first opponent is Maria Sharapova, and the dynamics between them have been projected into overblown 21st Century sociological myth. In the age of reality television and gossip-as-news, both fans and the media will have a field day with this match.

The Osaka quarter includes Anett Kontaveit, Aryna Sabalenka, Donna Vekic, Julia Goerges (whose level has dropped, but she can still be dangerous), and Bertens.

The Halep quarter includes Andreescu, 2017 champion Sloane Stephens, Cincinnati runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova, Alona Ostapenko (you never know), Garbine Muguruza (you really never know), and Kvitova.

In the Pliskova quarter are Svitolina, Venus Williams, Sonya Kenin, and 2017 runner-up and Cincinnati champion Madison Keys.

The Barty quarter includes Serena Williams, Anastasija Sevastova, 2016 champion Angie Kerber, and Maria Sakkari.

First rounds of interest:

Aryna Sabalenka (9) vs. Vika Azarenka

Aleks Krunic vs. Alona Ostapenko

Alison Riske vs. Garbine Muguruza (24)

Jo Konta (16) vs. Daria Kasatkina

Serena Williams (8) vs Maria Sharapova

Angie Kerber (14) vs. Kiki Mladenovic

Maria Sakkari (30) vs. Camila Giorgi
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Sunday, August 18, 2019

Final thoughts on Cincinnati

Several unexpected things happened this year at the Western and Southern Open, but then--it's the WTA, and it's generally best to expect the unexpected. We weren't expecting Naomi Osaka to retire, though she was wise to do so (Osaka said that she has a high pain tolerance and sometimes plays on when it would be best for her to stop). We also weren't expecting the retirement of Belinda Bencic, which occurred in the first round.

Ever the optimist when it comes to the Spaniard, I didn't think 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza would go out in the first round, but given that she lost to our champion, Madison Keys, the loss doesn't seem as stunning as it might have. Keys played great tennis from the moment she arrived at the tournament.

The bigger surprise was the elimination of defending champion Kiki Bertens, who lost to Venus Williams in the second round. Williams was in especially good form in Cincinnati.

The best surprise was the stunning run of wild card Svetlana Kuznetsova, who made it all the way to the final, and took out four seeded players--three in the top 10--and one up-and-coming young player on her way there. Given Kuznetsova's long injury layoff, no one--including Kuznetsova--was expecting this to happen. The 34-year-old veteran put on quite a show the entire time she was here, and was, of course, her usual entertainingly philosophical self.

It was blazing hot and humid the entire week. Last year, through some weather fluke, it was mild and comfortable, but this year, it was back to normal, but with only one rain delay. The weather prevented me from seeing a few matches I wanted to see (well, I watched them on the monitor), and it frequently caused me to watch only part of a match while I was outside.

Of all the matches I saw--"live" or otherwise--the one that sticks out for me was the third round contest between 9th seed Aryna Sabalenka and Maria Sakkari. It was full of twists and turns, with both players going at it as though they were fighting for their very careers. I think everyone who saw it was mesmerized by it. Sakkari won--and though she would go out in the next round against top seed Ash Barty--the Greek player continued to establish herself as someone to watch.

Other players who impressed this week were Sonya Kenin (who continues to impress), Anett Kontaveit, Donna Vekic and, of course, the inimitable Hsieh Su-Wei, who played a memorable match against Naomi Osaka.

Finally, this may have been the "turn the corner" event for Madison Keys, who said that she felt that she had finally put all the elements of her game together this week. She also said that she felt calm, and not putting so much pressure on herself. Her serve was mostly strong, and her movement was superb. She goes into the U.S. Open with a lot of momentum.

The Cincinnati experience is an exciting and fan-friendly one, with almost all of the top WTA and ATP players competing. The grounds are filled with flowers, parking is free, and fans have a wide variety of food and vendor choices. 2019 did not disappoint,
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Madison Keys wins Cincinnati title

 

Down 3-5 in both sets, 16th seed Madison Keys overcame wild card Svetlana Kuznetsova to defeat her 7-5, 7-6 and win the Western and Southern Open title this afternoon in Cincinnati. In her previous matches, it was Kuznetsova who came back from a 3-5 deficit, but today, she was unable to stop Keys, who aggression and outstanding service game took her to victory.

 

Keys is now 4-0 against Kuznetsova, who said, after the match: "I think Madison served well, served much better than I did. But still, I had all the chances. Sometimes it goes this way, you know. The game is like this."

"I'm totally Dory on this."  
 
About the upcoming U.S. Open, the Russian veteran said: "I can draw any player in the first round, so wish me luck in the draw."

When asked about her game plan, considering her losing record against Keys, Kuznetsova replied: "Oh, I don't--when I saw I lost to her three times, I won't even remember. Like, this is good about me. I don't remember anything like good or bad...my memory is like Dory from Looking for Nemo. I'm totally Dory on this."

Keys acknowledged that "It was a tough draw from the very start. I really think I’ve played some of my best tennis ever this week." She went on to say, "I think Iwas just really calm…and I kind of dropped dropped the expectations of myself a little bit."     

This is Keys' fifth WTA title, and her first Premier 5 title. She's now back in the top 10 and is definitely a contender for the U.S. Open title. In 2017, she was the runner-up, losing the final to Sloane Stephens.
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