Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Ash Barty leaves at the top of her game

World number 1 Ashleigh Barty, at 25 years of age, has retired from professional tennis. Her announcement this week was—on the one hand—a bit of a shock, but—on the other hand—totally in line with the way that Barty lives her life.

When I first saw Ash Barty playing doubles on the tour, I thought that she was on her way to becoming a huge doubles star. Indeed, the Australian would go on to win twelve doubles titles, including one major—the 2018 U.S. Open (with Coco Vandeweghe); she would also be part of the runner-up team in five other majors.

But Barty had singles on her mind, and—while she continued to play doubles—her focus switched to her singles performance. But it wasn’t a conventional transition; in 2014, after playing for just a few years on the tour, Barty announced that she taking an indefinite leave. She was eighteen at the time, and said that she didn’t like traveling all the time, and missing out on experiencing a more normal teenage life.

It was startling to hear an adolescent display this much autonomy, especially in a field in which you can be a star one day and a “didn’t she used to be top 20?” the next. But Ash Barty did what she thought was the healthy thing to do. And she did it with style, becoming a member of the Women’s Big Bash League’s Brisbane Heat cricket team, which led to her eventually entering the league’s top 20.

Two years later, she quit cricket and returned to tennis. Barty won fifteen singles titles, including the 2019 French Open, the 2021 Wimbledon tournament, and the 2022 Australian Open. She also won the WTA Finals in 2018, and was a member of the Australian Fed Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup) team for five years.

During the most intense period of the Covid pandemic, Barty took the year off and played golf—and won a tournament. When she won Wimbledon the next year, I wrote this:

A doubles star who leaves tennis behind for two years in order to sort things out and to play professional cricket, then returns to become number 1 in the world in singles--wins the French Open, then takes a year off because of the pandemic, during which time she wins a golf tournament. Then injures her hip at the French Open, but shows up at Wimbledon--and wins the title.

Oh, that movie is too over-the-top to be made! It was, however, exactly what happened in the professional life of Ash Barty, 2021 Wimbledon singles champion, and world number 1. 

We await the sequel.

The sequel was pretty good. Barty not only went on to win the Australian Open, she also ended three straight seasons as number 1 in the world in singles, which is a rare feat. The Australian star is only the second WTA player to retire while she still holds the number 1 ranking (Justine Henin was the other one). 

In announcing her retirement, Barty said: “I don’t have the physical drive, the emotional want, and  kind of everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level anymore….I am spent. Physically, I have nothing more to give….I’ve given everything I can to this beautiful sport of tennis.”

And that is such an Ash Barty statement—candid and to the point, and minus the flourishes and TV-speak that characterizes so much of what celebrities (and many others) say. 

I don’t especially like the idea that athletes are automatically considered to be “role  models,” but—in many cases—they are. And for little girls and teen girls, there could be no better role model than a woman who always does what she knows is best for her, no matter how “different” it may appear to others, and no matter what others think about it, or what others expect her to do. Girls are still conditioned to do what’s best for others, often at their own expense.

There’s also a lot to emulate in Barty’s level-headed approach to life, calm demeanor, gracious sportswomanship, and vocal respect for everyone on her team. 

It’s always sad when a beloved player leaves the tour, and Ash Barty will be sorely missed. We were so fortunate to have her on the tour. As she said when she explained why she decided to announce her retirement via an interview with dear friend and former doubles partner Casey Dellacqua: “There’s no right way, there’s no wrong way—it’s just my way.”

Her way has served Barty quite well so far, and will undoubtedly continue to do so. In the meantime, we are all lucky to have been guests at the glorious Barty Party.

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Thursday, March 3, 2022

The WTA--wonderfully unpredictable

There are fans who complain that there is no "big" rivalry on the WTA tour. There are fans who complain that there is no one big, consistent champion on the tour. To each her own, but neither of those things bothers me; in fact, I rather like everything just the way it is. This is a tour with great depth, and depth brings unpredictability. 

It's the same on the LPGA tour. Occasionally, a consistent champion will arise, but most of the time, there are various elite players who win tournaments, including the majors. 

This year is likely to be a shiny mirror of the tour's current depth. World number 1 Ash Barty won her home major in Australia, which was thrilling, and Barty is likely to be a threat at all the majors. But the start of the 2022 season shows us that there are threats (not just at majors, but at all tournaments) popping up in all corners. For example, there is no bigger story right now than the rise of Anett Kontaveit. I'm happy to say that I was expecting big things of the Estonian for years, and she finally found a way to rise to those expectations.

Kontaveit, playing a more aggressive game than in the past--and with an improved serve-- announced herself as a top player in 2021, and she recently won her sixth WTA title. She is now number 5 in the world.

Then there's the resurgence of Alona Ostapenko, which also began in 2021, but has strengthened since the current season began. She recently won Dubai, while demonstrating the ferocious form that earned her the 2017 French Open title. But Ostapenko (who is still having trouble with her serve) has also learned to use a bit of finesse, which may be a result of her successful doubles career.

Bring in Iga Swiatek, who has never had the "typical" post-first major title letdown. After winning the 2020 French Open, Swiatek just kept rolling, reaching at least the fourth round of every major in 2021, and the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open. Swiatek, who is ranked number 4 in the world, recently won the Doha tournament.

Also in the mix is Paula Badosa, the defending Indian Wells champion. The Spaniard, with her big serve and explosive style, reached the semifinals of the 2021 WTA Finals, and is already ranked number 6 in the world. 

We've also seen a steady resurgence, since 2021, from two-time major champion and world number 9 Garbine Muguruza. World number 2 Barbora Krejcikova remains a threat to all opponents, and both Maria Sakkari (number 7 in the world) and Ons Jabeur (number 10) are continuing to rise in both skill and confidence. Toss in Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Pliskova and Danielle Collins, and you have a recipe for "anything can happen."

It doesn't end there, of course. It's logical to expect Simona Halep to return to form; she always does. Madison Keys is another player who has been playing more to form lately, and it will be interesting to see what Elina Svitolina has to offer this season. It will also be a pleasure to keep our eyes on the 2021 U.S. Open surprise finalists--Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez. 

There are others, of course, who could break through in various ways--too many to list here. The point is that we are likely to have some new champions, and to also have some surprises. What's not to like?

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Sunday, January 30, 2022

My Australian Open top 10

 Here are my top 10 Australian Open highlights, in ascending order:

10. Crazy from the heat: This year, as in usually the case, there were days in Melbourne when the heat was beyond brutal, but the players had to go on. Both Simona Halep and Alize Cornet were suffering in their round of 16 match; Halep, especially, looked as though she might drop from the heat. 

But it was Barbora Krejcikova who was ultimately overcome by it. She played her quarterfinal match against Madison Keys through to the end, but she looked very weak and in pain. A commentator suggested that if she done some training in the heat instead of staying in the Czech Republic in the off-season, she might have done better. That's possible, but also, some bodies just do not adapt to extreme heat, no matter what.

9. Where Is Your Brain?: Human (and non-human) rights are not "political," in my opinion. The Australian Open, however, decided that some of them were political. The tournament's organizers put together a Pride Day for LGBTQ fans and players, but forced fans in Where Is Peng Shuai? shirts to remove them. That makes about as much sense as--well, as the way they handled the Novak Djokovic nonsense (crazy from the heat, maybe?). Public protest was successful, and--in the end--Where Is Peng Shuai? shirts were sold at the event.

8. A match point to remember: Every once in a while, someone hits a match point so spectacular, we have to keep looking at it. In Melbourne, Iga Swiatek hit one of those.

7. Diede the (really) Great: She did it again--Diede de Groot swept both titles at the Australian Open. Her 2022 dominance gives her four singles titles and three doubles titles in Australia. She and partner Aniek Van Koot (whom she defeated in the singles final) won the doubles title when they defeated Yui Kamiji and Lucy Shuker in the final. 

6. Mladenovic and Anybody--still a winning team: Kiki Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig won the mixed doubles title; they were seeded 5th. This is Mladenovic's third mixed doubles title; she also has five major women's doubles finals.

5. Not your typical tennis legend: Kaia Kanepi is one of those grand stage players (others include Tsvetana Pironkova, Sorana Cirstea and the now-retired Ekaterina Makarova) who comes to life during majors and takes on giant-killing status, even though we may not see much from her in other tournaments. 

While she was in Melbourne, Kanepi achieved a unique milestone: She became the only player ever to reach the quarterfinals of all four majors while unseeded. Kanepi had already twice reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Someone on Twitter suggested that we call this the Kanepi Slam, and I'm all for it. (Pironkova, by the way, is missing only the Australian Open on her path to achieving the Kanepi Slam. It would be easy to dismiss her, but after a three-year absence, she returned to the tour in 2020 and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, and anything is possible with the Bulgarian Woman of Mystery.)

4. Allez!: It's a pleasure to finally include Alize Cornet in a top 10 list. Those who read this blog know that I consider her the biggest under-achiever on the tour, and one of the biggest under-achievers ever. That's the sad part. The joyful part is that--on her sixty-third try--Cornet finally made the quarterfinals of a major. She defeated qualifier Victoriya Tomova, 3rd seed Garbine Muguruza, 29th seed Tamara Zidansek, and 14th seed Simona Halep. She lost her quarterfinal match to 27th seed Danielle Collins, but it was one hell of a run.

3. Getting so close: And speaking of Collins, She made it all the way to the final, taking out the likes of Clara Tauson, Elise Mertens and 7th seed Iga Swiatek along the way. Collins reached the semifinals in 2019. Already diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, last spring, she had surgery for endometriosis, then won her first two WTA titles. Collins is the first NCAA singles champion (she won the title twice) to reach the final of a major. The U.S. player was up 5-1 in her second set against Ash Barty, but then saw her first serve--and ultimately, the match--disappear. 

I have a feeling that this won't happen a second time. Off the court, Collins is a feminist spokeswoman, and the tour desperately needs more of those (I no longer count the obligatory "I wouldn't be here without the Original 9" statement as meaningful.)

2. You can't have a list without Czechs: Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won their fourth major when they defeated Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia in the doubles final. Match point featured Krejcikova yelling at her partner to let her have the ball, which Krejcikova then lobbed expertly at her opponent's feet. What a way to seal the match! The top seeds won a gold medal at the last Olympic Games, and Krejcikova has won three major titles (all in Australia) in mixed doubles. And--in a nod to how the stars used to do it--Krejcikova is now also an elite singles player.

1. Barty party all the time: It had been 44 years since an Australian had won the Australian Open, but world number 1 Ash Barty took care of that gap by winning the 2022 championship. Barty didn't drop a set throughout the tournament, and she was broken only three times--two of those breaks occurred in the final, in which she played Danielle Collins. Barty is a complete player--she can serve, she can move, and she can think. The Aussie star has now won a major on every surface, and achieving a Career Slam cannot be far behind. 

And if ever anyone did it her own way, Ashleigh Barty did. From veering away from her doubles success, to leaving the tour for a couple of years to play another sport, to playing what is unfortunately called a "throwback" style of tennis--the world number 1 followed her own needs and instincts, and the results are stunning.

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Saturday, January 29, 2022

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Last night, in Rod Laver Arena, top seed Ash Barty became the first Australian to win the Australian Open in 44 years. She did it by defeating "surprise" (some of us don't agree with that assessment) finalist Danielle Collins. It was a very good match that had the potential to be great, but Collins--despite her fighting spirit and resolve--was overcome by the occasion when she most needed to be cool and deadly.

Barty dominated Collins, who didn't play badly, in the first set. Collins had a break opportunity early in the set, but couldn't convert it, and then she double-faulted with a break point against her, and went down 2-4. Barty took that set 6-3.

The second set was a different story--until it wasn't. Collins came out with her aggression already dialed to the next level, and broke Barty in the second game, on her second break point. She was almost broken back, but managed to hold for 3-0. It looked like the collegiate star from the USA was on her way to flipping the script of the match. Indeed, in the sixth game, she broke Barty again and went up 5-1.

And then, everything went wrong for Collins. On the brink of winning the set, she could not get a first serve in. Barty broke Collins when she served for the set, then held, then broke Collins when she served for the set a second time. At this point, the crowd was getting out of control, and people were yelling during a point, which threw Collins off even more. 

The set went to a tiebreak (Collins was a bit more relaxed when she didn't have to serve for the set), but the world number 1 ran away with it, going up 4-0 right away, and eventually winning it 7-2.

There was a lot to like (other than the crowd's interference) about this final. In a quirky turn of events, Collins' bracelet flew off of her wrist and she asked to have it found. I don't know if this was one of Collins' own bracelets--she designs (rather nice) jewelry. It was also interesting to watch Collins handle Barty's backhand slice, which is her signature shot. Unlike a lot of other players, Collins was often able to attack the shot with aggression by positioning herself low enough to manipulate the ball.

Prior to the final, Barty had been broken only once, by Amanda Anisimova. Collins broke her twice, which says a lot, because the Australian star's serve has become a thing to behold. Her serve speed is more than adequate, and the ease of her placement is impressive. 

Barty makes the whole thing look so easy, like an experienced chef who does elaborate prep, times everything just right, then adds her own instinctive creativity to the dish. An athlete's athlete, Barty can hit, move and think--all at once, and all extremely well.

The trophy ceremony was special because the great Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Barty's mentor, presented the trophies. Both speeches were touching. Collins, as always, went into detail thanking all of the staff and volunteers who had helped her throughout the tournament, and giving a special shout-out to the physios, who, she implied, made it possible for her to continue after some early physical problems.

(It's worth noting, by the way, that Collins is the first NCAA singles champion--she won that title twice--to reach the final of a major.)

Barty said that winning the Open was a "dream come true," and that she was proud to be an Australian. 

In 2021, after Ash Barty won Wimbledon, I wrote this:

A doubles star who leaves tennis behind for two and a half years in order to sort things out and to play professional cricket, then returns to become number 1 in the world in singles--wins the French Open, then takes a year off because of the pandemic, during which time she wins a golf tournament. Then injures her hip at the French Open, but shows up at Wimbledon--and wins the title. 

Oh, that movie is too over-the-top to be made! It was, however, exactly what happened in the professional life of Ash Barty, 2021 Wimbledon singles champion, and world number 1.

The Barty story continues to fascinate. The new Australian Open champion has now won a major on every surface, and a Career Slam is looming. I remember watching her in her early days of playing doubles and thinking that she was one of the best doubles players I had ever seen. Now she's number 1 in the world in singles and--at age 25--has won three majors. Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

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Thursday, January 27, 2022

Top seed Ash Barty to face Danielle Collins in Australian Open final

Yesterday's semifinals proved my prediction of a few days ago (that thrilling early rounds often mean dull later rounds) correct--at least, so far. I do hope that my "success" in predicting doesn't extend to the final. But in the semifinals, both matches were completed quickly. T

Top seed Ash Barty needed just over an hour to defeat Madison Keys--who had put on a brilliant run--6-1, 6-3. And Danielle Collins needed under and hour and 20 minutes to dispatch of Iga Swiatek, whose serve has let her down throughout this tournament. Swiatek had gotten herself out of trouble in previous matches with a combination of guile and persistence, but that didn't work against the relentless Collins.

Barty has won the French Open and Wimbledon, and there's no doubt that she would love to win the major in her home country (or, as British and Australian male commentators love to tell us--all the time--she's "desperate" to win the title). Collins reached the semifinals in 2019, before her life was interrupted by illness and surgery. But she's back strong this year, dictating play and bossing opponents around. Of course, Ash Barty isn't that easy to boss. She has yet to drop a set, and she's been broken only once.

Here are the opponents' paths to the final:

ASH BARTY(1)
round 1--def. Lesia Tsurenko
round 2--def. Lucia Bronzetti
round 3--def. Camila Giorgi (30)
round of 16--def. Amanda Anisimova
quarterfinals--def. Jessie Pegula (21)
semifinals--def. Madison Keys

DANIELLE COLLINS (27)
round 1--def. Caroline Dolehide
round 2--def. Ana Konjuh
round 3--def. Clara Tauson
round of 16--def. Elise Mertens (19)
quarterfinals--def. Alize Cornet
semifinals--def. Iga Swiatek (7)

Meanwhile, we have our doubles finalists. Top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova defeated 3rd seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens to advance to the final. Their opponents will be Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia, who upset 2nd seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara.

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Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Semifinals set in Australian Open singles play

Top seed Ash Barty, who has been broken only once and has yet to drop a set, easily advanced to the semifinals on day 9 of the Australian Open when she defeated Jessica Pegula 6-2, 6-0. Also that day, Madison Keys defeated Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2 in a match that I expected to go three sets. It didn't, presumably because Krejcikova (like others before her) became ill from the intense heat and had trouble doing just about everything.

A commentator made the point that the Czech star, instead of doing some advance training in a very hot climate, chose to remain in the Czech Republic to be with her family and friends, and she paid for it when she was overcome by the heat. I think that this is probably true--but only to a certain extent. There are some human bodies (I know--I have one of them and I live in an intensely hot summer climate) that just can't handle that kind of heat.

This isn't to take anything away from Keys, who has been on fire since she set foot in Melbourne. But it would have been nice to have seen both players in top form.

Yesterday, Danielle Collins advances to the semifinals (for the second time) when she defeated Alize Cornet in straight sets. Cornet made the first set quite competitive, but the second set was all Collins. Cornet, who had made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in 63 tries, said after the match:

"I have eternal respect for the Grand Slam winner because it's such a long way. My God, I have the feeling I'm playing this tournament for a year. I'm so exhausted mentally, physically. When you go all the way and win these freaking seven matches, it's just huge."

And then there was Iga Swiatek, who had to deal with famed giant-killer Kaia Kanepi, who has put on quite a show in Melbourne. Kanepi took the first set 6-4, and Swiatek had to use every trick she had to squeak out a victory in a second set tiebreak. The 2020 French Open champion settled down a bit after that, and committed only two double faults, giving her a total of twelve for the match. The Polish star won the third set 6-3 and advanced to the semifinals, but it took her three hours to do it. And her match point was one of the best I've seen in a while.

Kanepi received huge applause when she left the court. It was deserved. the Estonian player, who is 36 years old, is the only player in history to reach the quarterfinals of every major while being unseeded. Even the Bulgarian Woman of Mystery has yet to achieve that distinction, though--when she returned to the tour in 2020 after a lengthy injury (and then pregnancy) leave--she reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open. That gives her three major quarterfinals as an unseeded player, so stay tuned.

Here is the semifinal draw:

Ash Barty (1) vs. Madison Keys
Danielle Collins (27) vs. Iga Swiatek (7)

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De Groot and Van Koot win Australian Open wheelchair doubles title

Diede de Groot (aka Diede the Great) and Aniek Van Koot won their seventh major title as a team yesterday when they defeated Kgothatso Montjane and Lucy Shuker in the wheelchair doubles final at the Australian Open. The teams were seeded 1 and 2, respectively. This is the second Australian Open title for De Groot and Van Koot, who hold the Grand Slam (2019).

The singles title will be determined today when De Groot and Van Koot, the top seeds, compete. 

The women's doubles semifinal draw features all three top seeds and one unseeded team. Number 1 seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will play 3rd seeds Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens, and 2nd seeds Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara will compete against Anna Danilina and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

In mixed doubles, the title will feature Australian wild cards Jaimee Fourlis and Jason Kubler, who will compete against 5th seeds Kiki Mladenovic and Ivan Dodig. Mladenovic won the Australian title in 2014 with Daniel Nestor (and Mladenovic and Anybody remains a formidable team).

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