Badosa begins her Charleston campaign

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

12th seed Paula Badosa got off to a good start in Charleston today by defeating Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-1 in the first Credit One Stadium match of the day. The first set was very competitive and featured some exciting rallies. The Spaniard, however, pretty much ran away with the second set, putting pressure on Serif, who rushed a lot of her returns.

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

Also winning today was 2019 champion Madison Keys, who defeated Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-3. Keys talked about her ability to "shut things out" when she's on a big stadium court (except for a Lady Gaga song that was stuck in her head during the match against Navarro). She also said that having had repeated success in Charleston is a big motivating factor for her when she plays here.

Madison Keys (photo by Daniel Ward)

Also notable today, hometown favorite Shelby Rogers defeated 13th seed Danielle Collins 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, and in a contest between two up and coming players, Diana Shnaider defeated Alycia Parks 6-4, 6-3.

Shelby Rogers (photo by Daniel Ward)

Charleston, day 1

Yulia Putintseva (photo by Daniel Ward)

 

Former world number number 3 Elina Svitolina returned to the tour today and played a tough first round match against Yulia Putinseva. Svitolina had been off of the tour for a little over a year, but she and Putinseva proceeded to battle it out in a three-set contest, just the way they used to. Putintseva won, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, but it took her two hours and 46 minutes to get the job done. 

Putintseva's next opponent won't be familiar at all. For the first time in her career, she'll face off against 7th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.

Elena Svitolina (photo by Daniel Ward)

Also winning today was the young Czech Linda Fruhvirtova, who defeated Jil Teichmann, also in three sets. And 2016 champion Sloane Stephens needed three sets to defeat Louisa Chirico. Stephens' next opponent will be Victoria Azarenka.

Tomorrow, many eyes will be on Shelby Rogers and 13th seed Danielle Collins. Also, making their first appearances will be 12th seed Paula Badosa, 9th seed Madison Keys, 2nd seed Ons Jabeur, and 16th seed Marie Bouzkova.

Media Day in Charleston

clockwise, from top left: Shelby Rogers, Paula Badosa, Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Ons Jabeur (all photos by Daniel Ward)

Five of the top players in the Credit One Charleston Open draw met with the media today, and they talked about fitness, their love for the tournament, and several other subjects, including the transition to clay courts from hard, promoting tennis in their communities, interior design, and their upcoming nuptials.

Defending champion Belinda Bencic said that winning in Charleston last year has really helped her clay game in terms of the mental aspect. “I’m no longer analyzing, ‘Should I slide here? Should I move here?’” Bencic talked about how special it feels to see her face on a billboard, to see photos of herself with the trophy, and to see her racket hanging in the players' area.

She also told us about last year's victory celebration, which--apparently--her team commenced right away. Bencic had some champagne before the she met with the press, then realized that she hadn't eaten anything, and said that she felt a bit woozy. By the time she got to the hotel, her team had consumed a lot more champagne, and “I had to pack all the bags because the others weren’t able to." 

Paula Badosa, who has had a tough year, dealing with injuries, told us that she feels that she has matured, and in doing so, has "learned to just accept things." Badosa said that her favorite Charleston moment was when she defeated world number 1 Ash Barty in the 2021 quarterfinals. “Nobody know me, I think she didn’t know me.”

A couple of the players discussed the depth of today's WTA field. Shelby Rogers said that “Right now, I feel like everybody is so good, and it’s a battle.” She added that it's hard to take one's past experiences with an opponent and apply them to a current match. And Madison Keys added that "everyone is so good now that each player can do well on every surface."

all photos by Daniel Ward

Both Keys and Rogers are planning weddings, and Keys is buying a new house. The house that she lives in now was featured in various media because Keys had decorated it herself (and had done a really good job). She said that she plans to decorate the new one, also. I asked her if she's given any thought to perhaps pursuing interior decorating--or even interior design--at some point. Keys said that her interest in interiors is significant, and she hasn't ruled out pursuing a career in the decorating or design field.

The players also talked about their reactions to devices like WHOOP, and the answers were varied, though all agreed that collecting fitness and health data can be useful. They also all agreed that only a player can fully "know" her body, so intuitive information needs to be combined with/weighed against data. Ons Jabeur doesn't use any of the devices, and Bencic likes for her physio to use them, but she doesn't want to receive the data. Also, Jabeur has recently gone on a gluten-free diet (though she thinks that it will be very difficult to remain on it when she's in Tunisia).

It was Jabeur who delivered the most surprising comment during the session. “Tennis," she said, "is part of my life. It's not a big part of my life--I’m probably going to go on a few more years.”

Turns out that, in the desert, there IS someone to give you pain--lots of it

✅ First Indian Wells title
✅ First WTA 1000 title
✅ First champion from Kazakhstan#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/520N5CiK1Z

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 19, 2023

That would be Elena Rybakina, who took out both the number 1 and the number 2 players in the world to grab the BNP Paribas Open singles title. Rybakina beat world number 1 Iga Swiatek in the semifinals. She had a bit of help in that Swiatek was playing with a rib injury, and was obviously not herself. However, had Swiatek been healthy, she still might have lost to Rybakina, who was hitting bombs left and right.

In the somewhat herky-jerky final with its maddening first set tiebreak, Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka, whose service woes (supposedly behind her, but it's true that "under stress, you regress") paid a visit. Sabalenka double-faulted ten times in the first set, and it was obvious--in the second set--that she became very cautious about her serves.

For her part, Rybakina didn't serve at the level that she did against Swiatek, but she did hit seven aces. Her 7-6, 6-4 victory took just over two hours to complete, and represents her first WTA 1000 event title.

Rybakina also defeated Sofia Kenin, Paula Badosa, Varvara Gracheva, and Karolina Muchova, who dragged the champion to three very tough sets. 

Heavy lifting! ⚠️@BKrejcikova & @K_Siniakova show perfect team work to lift up tennis' heaviest trophy. pic.twitter.com/x3HdU2Tcp5

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) March 18, 2023

Not at all surprisingly, top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova won the doubles title, defeating Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-7, 10-7.

Beware of kryptonite in the desert, part 2

New celebration level unlocked 🔓#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/uZ1mFWOxrB

— BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 18, 2023

When I wrote that world number 1 Iga Swiatek might consider lining her cap with lead the next time she faces Barbora Krejcikova, I failed to suggest that she do the same regarding Elena Rybakina. The Wimbledon champion, who defeated Swiatek in straight sets in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, did it again tonight in Indian Wells. Tonight, however, the win was more dramatic.

Rybakina--who carries the demeanor of Chris Evert in a long, tall body--barely escaped the attacks of Karolina Muchova in an exciting, two and three-quarter-hour quarterfinal match. Squeaking out that kind of victory can relax a player. It can also cause fatigue, but that obviously wasn't the case with Rybakina. She came out like the boss she often is, posting an 82.4 first serve win percentage, and quickly winning the opening set against Swiatek, 6-2. 

The world number 1 looked a bit stunned, and I imagine that most fans expected her to come back after the break with a fresh plan. She didn't. Finally, when she was down 0-5, some switch got pulled, and she began to navigate the court's geometry the way she generally does. When she held for 1-5, the crowd roared. She continued the aggression and broke Rybakina when she served for the match. For the first time, the world number 10 looked a bit vulnerable, but she wasn't to be broken again (she retained that 82.4% state, which is quite unusual), and after an hour and sixteen minutes, she deprived Swiatek of her chance to claim a second consecutive Indian Wells title.

The WTA tour is nothing if not ironic, and Rybakina's opponent in the final will be Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated her in the Australian Open final. Sabalenka won her Indian Wells semifinal against Maria Sakkari, 6-2, 6-3. 

During her post-match interview--when asked what she plans to do this time in order to conquer Sabalenka--he ever-coolheaded Rybakina said that her goal is to play on Sunday the way she played tonight. That is indeed a worthy goal.

(Postscript: It turns out that Swiatek sustained a rib injury while she was in Indian Wells, and it was troubling her.)

Meanwhile, the doubles final is set. Top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova will face Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund for the title.

Beware of kryptonite in the desert

@BKrejcikova reacts to converting match point in the @DDFTennis final pic.twitter.com/evCCiRB8Su

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) February 25, 2023

World number 1 Iga Swiatek practically waltzed to the final in Doha, albeit she had some help with both a bye and a walkover (from Belinda Bencic). She defeated Danielle Collins 6-0, 6-1, and she defeated Veronika Kudermetova with the same scoreline. Those two victories were shocking enough, but then she defeated 2nd seed Jessie Pegula 6-3, 6-0 in the final. 

Seemingly fresh from spending so little time on court in Doha, Swiatek moved on to Dubai, where she again had both a bye and a walkover (from Karolina Pliskova). She defeated Leylah Fernandez 6-1, 6-1, and Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 (another shocking scoreline), then Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2.

But in the final, as Swiatek sought to win the Desert Double, she had to deal with Barbora Krejcikova, who defeated her in the Ostrava final, a match that was so amazing in every way, I still think about it. The Czech star has been on a dramatic comeback tour since having to drop out for a while because of an elbow injury. In Dubai, she defeated the likes of Dasha Kasatina, Petra Kvitova, 2nd seed (and world number 2) Aryna Sabalenka, and 3rd seed (and world number 3) Jessie Pegula.

Sometimes, when a player does that kind of heavy lifting in a tournament, she doesn't have much left by the time she gets to the final. And imagine that that final is to be played against the world number 1, who has been dispensing bagels as though she were heir to a famous New York City bakery. And then imagine that the world number 1 hasn't really spent that much time on court. Oh--and that she was eager to get some revenge following the Ostrava final.

Krejcikova apparently didn't trouble herself with any of those facts. She defeated Swiatek 6-4, 6-2 with excellent serving (first and second serve win stats of 70%/57%), and by reading the court expertly, hanging in with Swiatek during long rallies, and interrupting the Polish star's rhythm. Swiatek was able to convert only one of six break opportunities.

SHEEESH @BKrejcikova 😮‍💨

Point of the match 👏#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/lK1fI3Ijsu

— wta (@WTA) February 25, 2023

Commentator Claire Curran remarked that Krejcikova is an expert disruptor, but that it is also very hard to disrupt her. Curran said that she thought that these were the traits to which Krejcikova was referring when she said that she had used her doubles skills to defeat Swiatek in Ostava.

In completing her Dubai run, the Czech player became the fifth woman to defeat the three top-ranked players in the world at a tournament.

Swiatek and Krejcikova are now 2-2 against each other, and Krejciova has won both of their finals. Is Krejcivkova now in Swiatek's head, or is the world number 1 immune to that sort of thing? Regardless, it may be a good idea for Swiatek to line her cap with some lead the next time she meets Krejcikova in a final.

Farewell to the Forehand of Fire

I will miss competing on these beautiful Dubai courts, #SaniaMirza says. India ace says special thanks to parents and to Dubai where her career began and ended. @gulf_news @DubaiTennisCham @WTAtour @aksatish14 https://t.co/WQzUCJ0br2

— Gulf News Sport (@GulfNewsSport) February 23, 2023

If it seems like Sania Mirza has been on the tour for ages, well--it's because she has. Mirza began her WTA career in 2003, when she showed up with a forehand that demonstrated why her favorite player was Steffi Graf. But having one of the deadliest forehands ever seen on the tour also cost Mirza, who was sustaining wrist injuries as early as 2007. Eventually, she would play doubles exclusively, a move which allowed her to significantly reduce her injuries.

In 2005, Mirza became the first Indian woman to win a WTA tournament when she won her hometown event in Hyderabad. Ten years later, she would become the first Indian woman to attain a number 1 ranking (in doubles), and the first Indian woman to win a major, when she and Martina Hingis won Wimbledon.

Mirza won 43 doubles titles, including the aforementioned 2015 Wimbledon title, the 2015 U.S. Open (also with Martina Hingis), and the 2016 Australian Open (with Hingis). She also won three major mixed doubles titles: the 2009 Australian Open (with Mahesh Bhupathi), the 2012 French Open (also with Bhupathi), and the 2014 U.S. Open (with Bruno Soares). Mirza also won the WTA Finals in 2014 (with Cara Black) and 2015 (with Hingis).

In 2018, Mirza went on maternity leave. She returned to the tour in 2020, won the first tournament that she entered, and returned to the top 25 in doubles.

In 2014, Mirza was appointed brand ambassador for the Indian state of Telangana. She was also the first Asian woman to be named UN Women Goodwill Embassador for South Asia. Mirza, who has established a tennis academy in Hyderabad, used her influence in 2012 to bring about the awarding of equal prize money for all tennis tournaments in India. 

I was disappointed--though not surprised--a few years ago, when the Indian star and activist told a journalist that she wasn't a feminist. The word's meaning has become so distorted, I suppose, that women who support social, economic and political equality for women (i.e., feminism) find ways to avoid claiming the identity (e.a., Christina Aguilera's "I don't want to be labeled" and Patti Smith's "reasoning," which is so outrageously upside down-ridiculous that I won't even go into it here). 

Many years ago, the mother of a WTA player told me that Mirza and her mother--who often accompanied Mirza to tournaments--were the nicest, most gracious people that she had encountered on the tour. This didn't surprise me--Sania Mirza, whose early career was sometimes overshadowed by controversy (e.a., in 2005, a group of Muslim clerics ordered her to wear long tunics and headscarves when she competed), had to learn, early on, to handle not only the pressure of being a professional athlete, but also the pressure of bearing publicity that she never sought.

This week, the 36-year-old Mirza retired from professional tennis, leaving a legacy that includes the expansion of tennis in India, a model of grace under pressure, a stellar doubles career---and a forehand of fire.