Badosa moves on in Charleston, Kudermetova falls to Shnaider

Paula Badosa (photo by Daniel Ward)

Stadium play got off to a roaring start today when 12th seed Paula Badosa faced off against Leylah Fernandez. The Canadian player was in fine form, hitting winners left and right and executing volleys that left Badosa with no answers. 

"We always have battles," said Badosa said after the match." She plays so fast, she doesn't give me time." And that statement, indeed, summed up most of the first set. Fernandez quickly went up a break, and her momentum continued until she began to have some trouble with her forehand. Badosa was able to take the set, 7-5.

The second set was tight, too, but the 12th seed took it--and the match--in a tiebreak. Fernandez hit twice s many winners as Badosa, but she also hit twice as many unforced errors; in the end, it was the Spaniard's lower-risk play that paid off. 

This was the first time since January that Badosa had won two consecutive matches. After going through the struggles of an injury and trying to work her way back to form, her take on her first two rounds in Charleston is: "I hope it's the start of the Paula that I want to feel again."

2021 champion Veronika Kudermetova wasn't so lucky. Kudermetova played the creative (and, I'm sure commentators would say "feisty") Diana Shnaider, whose game is a fun-to-watch combination of tricky shots and raw athleticism. Shnaider, who is a biology major at the University of South Carolina, got our   attention when she qualified for her first WTA main draw at the Australian Open and took 6th seed Maria Sakkari to three sets in the second round. 

In today's match, the 19-year-old came from a break down in both sets to defeat her countrywoman 6-4, 6-3.

Daria Kasatkina (photo by Daniel Ward)

Though Kudermetova and Anna Blinkova lost (the latter to top seed Jessica Pegula), other Russian players did well today. 2017 champion and 3rd seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-1, and 7th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 6-3

Azarenka returns to Charleston in style

Victoria Azarenka (photo by Daniel Ward)

Victoria Azarenka had not played in Charleston since 2010, but she got into the green clay groove nicely last night by defeating 2016 champion Sloane Stephens 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in Credit One Stadium. The match featured a lot of good shot-making from both players, and the crowd was appreciative of the display. 

2nd seed Ons Jabeur also got off to a good start last night, defeating Lesia Tsurenko 6-3, 6-3. And top seed Jessica Pegula, who was unable to make it to Media Day on Monday because she was busy packing her Miami Open doubles championship trophy, met with the press yesterday evening. Pegula said that yesterday was the first time this year that she has practiced on clay.

Asked about her level of fatigue after competing in Miami and going all the way to the final in doubles, the top seed said: "Definitely, I'm a little tired, but then at the same time, I think I'm still kind of in competition mode, which I think helps as well. It's one thing to have a quick turnaround, but I feel pretty good. Obviously singles I played a lot, doubles I played a lot, but I had a day off Saturday, just played the doubles final Sunday. I traveled here yesterday, and had another day off. So I don't feel super tired, drained. I think physically I still feel good. Like nothing is bothering me."

Pegula also reported some good news--her mother's rehab is going well, and her mother's condition has improved significantly. She also said that, fortunately, she has always been able to focus on whatever job she has at hand, and actually faces each task as a kind of stress relief. It helps a lot, however, that "we have a lot of people that are really great at home and that we trust and we know are going to take care of her, so I think that helps make my job much easier."

Two matches of particular interest (at least, to me) today are Paula Badosa (12) vs. Leylah Fernandez and Magda Linette (8) vs. Varvara Gracheva.

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.