Desert Thunder.
A dominant performance in Dubai ?@JelenaOstapenk8 defeated 4? Grand Slam champions en route to the title!#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/mSMhhV2nhj
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2022
Jelena Ostapenko: It's just the beginning of the season. My goal is to be in top 10, maybe even higher. I'm not going to stop working, not going to stop, like, playing better, improving. I think it's just the beginning for me, like in 2017, just to rise up the rankings.
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 17, 2022
10-3 in '22 (and 28-11 back to Eastbourne), Ostapenko will now rise from #21 to #13, her first Top 20 ranking since October '18, with her confidence stoked enough to make her musing about a Top 10 (or better) rise now feel a bit more like a promise (or "threat?") than the usual "Ostapenko being Ostapenko" sort of comment that often just makes a listener smile and move on. Fact is, that sort of "of course I can" mindset played a huge part in her riding her remarkable power-and-shotmaking wave to her maiden slam title in Paris (now) half a decade ago, and if *that* Thunder is now back, well, buckle in and enjoy the upcoming shows.
Veronika Kudermetova celebrates a big win in Dubai. pic.twitter.com/jg5P9wrXfP
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) February 16, 2022
This was the Russian's second SF+ result (w/ Melbourne 1 SF) this season, and continues her trend of spotlight-worthy early-season results. Three of her four singles finals have come in January/February the last two seasons, with a fourth in April of last year. While Kudermetova couldn't handle Ostapenko on her own, she went on to team with Elise Mertens to defeat Ostapenko and Lyudmyla Kichenok in the doubles final, adding a second crown to the win they collected last spring in Instabul. It's Kudermetova third career tour WD title, though she reached big championship matches last season in Wimbledon (w/ Vesnina) and Indian Wells (w/ Rybakina) with other partners. Kudermetova's last step to the single final was paved by a walkover in the semifinals from Vondrousova when the Czech withdrew after aggravating a right abductor injury after facing six opponents over the course of the week, having had to initially make her way through qualifying (even as the world #38) to reach the packed Dubai MD. After a final Q-round win over Yulia Putintseva, Vondrousova advanced past Danielle Collins when the AO finalist retired (dizziness) after having won the opening set. She posted additional wins over Varvara Gracheva and Dayana Yastremska to reach her first semifinal of the season, but her sixth in her last twelve events. Thus far, Vondrousova hasn't been able to finish off any of those runs with a title, with Dubai being (after Chicago last year) her second event-ending SF walkover. The closest the Czech has gotten to emerging from the pack was the Olympic Silver medal result that included a three-set Gold Match loss to Belinda Bencic.
WTA 500 Dubai Duty Free Championships Marketa Vondrousova pic.twitter.com/rZTUEUExHy
— Ken mckinnon (@Kenmckinnon9) February 17, 2022
Anticipation ON POINT ??@jilteichmann | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/hxXo48jHlq
— wta (@WTA) February 17, 2022
EXHIBITION TENNIS ????@Simona_Halep | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/J46gDyCWYz
— wta (@WTA) February 17, 2022
Simona Halep with a zinger of a response to Ostapenko's 'she couldn't handle my pace' comment:
— Musab (@Musab_Abid) February 17, 2022
"I feel like the last match was somewhere in Beijing and I won it. I cannot say that she overpowers me. I think some other players are hitting stronger."
"But she has a great game."
24-5 since her return from injury, Halep is 11-2 on the season.
Never count her out of a rally ??????@Simona_Halep | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/HJgISicv38
— wta (@WTA) February 14, 2022
Pojd? Pojd! @Petra_Kvitova is back in the @DDFTennis quarters pic.twitter.com/M9MTc92IGQ
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) February 16, 2022
Another upset ??@Petra_Kvitova takes out the No.1 seed Sabalenka and advances to the @DDFTennis quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/ypkh3L3SyW
— wta (@WTA) February 16, 2022
A two-time finalist in the second half of the tour's desert duo in Doha (winning in '18), after opening '22 with 1r/2r losses her first four events, Kvitova destroyed Camila Giorgi 6-2/6-0 and then put away top-seeded Ayna Sabalenka 4 & 4 to reach the QF, getting her first Top 10 win in nearly two years (#1 Barty in '20 Doha SF). Kvitova led Alona Ostapenko by a set and 5-3, and held a MP on the Latvian, but ultimately had to settle for being the player who got the *closest* to defeating the eventual Dubai champion before heading off to Doha, where she lost to Sabelenka in last year's final.
Dayana Yastremska: There is not just one thing that was the hardest for me. It’s everything; mentally it was hard, physically as well; I kind of lost that feeling of the game, lost the feeling of myself, how I was before.https://t.co/DVRriyXGr6
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) February 16, 2022
In Dubai, Yastremska's run through qualifying included victories over Olga Danilovic, Clara Tauson and Madison Brengle. In the MD, the Ukrainian posted additonal victories over Saint Petersburg semifinalist Irina-Camelia Begu and #3 Barbora Krejcikova, the latter her third Top 10 win and first since her "provisional suspension" and dealings with WADA, CAS et al. Yastremska fell to fellow qualifier Marketa Vondrousova in the QF, but the end result was her third QF+ on tour since her return last July after previous runs in Hamburg (SF, in her first event) and Courmayeur (QF, in October). Meanwhile, the rise of the Younger Fruhvirtova continues. After back-to-back ITF challenger titles, 14-year old Brenda (via a qualifying WC) defeated Sara Errani and Leonie Kung in Guadalajara qualifying to run her winning streak to 12 matches. She'll make her tour-level MD debut this week, sporting a 15-1 record this season and as the first player born in 2007 to appear in a WTA 1st Round match.
What a performance from 14 year old wildcard, Brenda Fruhvirtova!
— Marty (@Svitoflopina) February 20, 2022
Defeats Kung 6-2, 6-1 and qualifies for the first time in the main draw:
Possible opponents for her:
Zhu
Paquet
Stephens ??
another q
McNally pic.twitter.com/CsZ9yfGtLs
Older sister Linda made *her* tour debut last spring in Charleston as a wild card, upsetting Alize Cornet and reaching the QF at age 15. More on Linda below...
Congratulations to Linda Fruhvirtova on winning her third career professional title at the W25 event in Cancun, Mexico! ?? pic.twitter.com/XzxK7Venjs
— IMG Tennis (@IMGTennis) February 20, 2022
Double the fun for Victoria Mboko today as she clinched the title at the J1 in Porto Alegre, Brazil! ??
— Tennis Canada (@TennisCanada) February 20, 2022
Mboko beat fellow National Tennis Centre presented by @Rogers athlete Mia Kupres in an all-Canadian final. Looks like both players really enjoyed the moment! ?? pic.twitter.com/4ERuUSSpXl
Kupres, 18, had advanced to the singles final with wins over Argentina's Luciana Moyano (SF) and Bannerette Sonya Macavei (QF), both of whom had previously won J1 singles titles in '22.
cue Fireworks by Katy Perry ????@elise_mertens | #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/Fhsh2CSOOj
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2022
En route to their second big '22 result (w/ AO SF), Kudermetova/Mertens won a pair of match TB over N.Kichenok/Olaru and Krawczyk/Perez before posting straight sets wins over Xu/Yang and, in the final, (completing the Kichenok sweep) L.Kichenok/Ostapenko.
Completing the ITF 3 and ITF 2 women's singles 'double' @BoltonArena ????
— Wheelchair Tennis (LTA) (@WChairTennisGB) February 19, 2022
British No.1 @lucy_shuker leaves Bolton as dual singles champion after a walkover in today's final, with Dana Mathewson (USA) having to withdraw due to injury.#BackTheBrits ???? #wheelchairtennis pic.twitter.com/G7VLZiT2TU
Last month, Shuker reached her eighth career slam WD final (w/ Yui Kamiji) at this year's Australian Open. She's still seeking her maiden slam title.
What a way to win an 11-9 final set tiebreaker. pic.twitter.com/bKK3LYv116
— David Kane (@DKTNNS) February 17, 2022
Digging DEEP in Doha ??
— wta (@WTA) February 20, 2022
Two-time #QatarTennis champ @vika7 comes from 4-0 down and saves a match point in the decider before defeating Putintseva after 2h49m! pic.twitter.com/LPJRnk7tkq
Aggro:
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) February 20, 2022
Putintseva led final set 4-0.
Azarenka came back to 4-4.
Putintseva held for 5-4, then called the trainer.
Azarenka furious as she was about to serve to stay in it. ‘She needs a psychiatrist.’
Azarenka saved match point. Then broke. Then won it 7-5.
The handshake: pic.twitter.com/a1pAGJ0jBD
Azarenka and Putintseva giving us the drama we deserve... This season is going to be so good! https://t.co/CFtLJxyRaz
— was careyspearss ?? (@MDNASPEARSS) February 20, 2022
Shots fired by Jelena Ostapenko after her win over Swiatek:
— Musab (@Musab_Abid) February 16, 2022
"The Polish people were a bit not too nice, like, clapping for double-faults. I don't think it's the right way. It's not a football match, it's a tennis match at the end."
"It only made me more angry & hungry to win." pic.twitter.com/rIWrCriJOb
Happy tears ??@Gabriela_Ruse outlasts the No.3 seed Badosa in a terrific three-set battle!#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/ueuR2cv5Ak
— wta (@WTA) February 15, 2022
First top 10 win ????????@DDFTennis @WTA @adidastennis pic.twitter.com/NK8wqmjxxu
— Gabriela Ruse (@Gabriela_Ruse) February 15, 2022
That third set ?? #Ostapenko #DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/w22ZKvZSqv
— Tennis GIFs ???? (@tennis_gifs) February 18, 2022
In the first two months of the season, 19yo Clara Tauson has already tallied the two biggest wins of her career:
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) February 20, 2022
d. No.7 Kontaveit 62 64 (Australian Open)
d. No.24 Bencic 64 36 63 (Doha) https://t.co/ITE5cz0gMm
Perfect week here @bw_ladiesopen ??
— Greet Minnen (@GreetMinnen97) February 20, 2022
Thanks to my whole team/family/friends and sponsors ?? @ann.devries.y @robindhoe @wilsontennis @wcupnutrition @lottotennis @hubo_belgie @tenniscomfort @luxilonbelux https://t.co/Ub2kLg6LOP
Cool, calm and collected ??
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2022
???? @JelenaOstapenk8 powers through the Dubai final 6-0, 6-4!#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/o85Kt9oXFD
Ostapenko's only losses this season have come vs. Top 10ers Paula Badosa, Barbora Krejcikova and Anett Kontaveit. With the Latvian at #13 this week, they all might hear the distinctive sound Latvian Thunder coming up behind them, too.
Asia Muhammad completes the double-double in Canberrahttps://t.co/yGvDkBhZRS #Tennis pic.twitter.com/jgHLPHexrn
— robiciatennis (@robiciatennis) February 20, 2022
Novak Djokovic says he would rather skip future tournaments than be forced to get a Covid jab, in an exclusive BBC interview https://t.co/vLNeBvgp0M
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) February 15, 2022
The Kamila Valieva case is an indictment of the anti-doping system, not her
— Post Sports (@PostSports) February 11, 2022
Read Sally Jenkins: https://t.co/wDYkufijzr
Kaia Kanepi who made Australian Open quarterfinals is on the entry list for 60,000 Arcadia starting 28th February
— . (@returnofserve) February 15, 2022
Conditions in Cancun 25k this week. (Yes dogs run on court mid match ) People don’t see this part of the grind we face . Between the line calls/ organization of this event I must say I’ve been on tour a while, this is by far the worst tournament I’ve ever played in . @ITFTennis pic.twitter.com/ZZ27k9S6F1
— Sachia Vickery (@SachiaVick) February 18, 2022
Jelena Ostapenko finishes off a thunderous week, winning the WTA 500 Dubai final 6-0, 6-4 over Kudermetova.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) February 19, 2022
Beat four Slam champs (Kenin, Swiatek, Kvitova, Halep) to make the final, and won three must-win tiebreaks to make it.
When Ostapenko is at her best, she's ferocious.
Jelena Ostapenko is an astonishing tennis player when in this form. A force of nature.
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) February 19, 2022
6-0, 6-4 over Veronika Kudermetova in just over an hour to win the Dubai title. Blasted her off the court.
To go with wins over Kenin, Swiatek, Kvitova and Halep.
Also in the doubles final!
"Nobody's Baby," 1940
"It's a Great Day for the Irish," 1940
"But Not for Me," 1940
"Get Happy," 1950
"The Man That Got Away," 1954 (original, two outtakes & triple-view)
"Smile," 1963
"Over the Rainbow," 1955
when all the wordle tiles turn green pic.twitter.com/7ZndgspZFN
— wta (@WTA) February 17, 2022
A stellar week indeed ??@JelenaOstapenk8 eased to victory after 65 minutes of play and is projected to rise in the rankings from No.21 to No.13 with the title ??
— wta (@WTA) February 19, 2022
Dubai #Expo2020
— Grigor. (@Scores_WTA) February 19, 2022
Clijsters d. Wozniacki 6-4, 2-6, 10-7 pic.twitter.com/HoltXpDQXK
Always great sharing the court with @Clijsterskim! Yesterday was a lot of fun! Thank you #expo2020dubai for having us! pic.twitter.com/fd1EDdATGg
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) February 20, 2022
The legacy issue needed this duo@serenawilliams and @Venuseswilliams on their own terms in @harpersbazaarus (??)#BJKCup pic.twitter.com/KP3Fc2WPkD
— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) February 16, 2022
You can easily say that Venus & Serena Williams have achieved G.O.A.T status.
— Harper's Bazaar (@harpersbazaarus) February 16, 2022
This rise to power would be unusual for anyone, but for two Black girls from Compton, it’s legendary.
And they're telling their own origin story for our March 2022 issue ?? https://t.co/2Pm3jBLhfn pic.twitter.com/FDw5VFVeYs
*2022 ALL-UNSEEDED PLAYERS FINALS*
Melbourne 2 - A.Anisimova/USA d. A.Sasnovich/BLR (Q)
Adelaide 2 - M.Keys/USA d. A.Riske/USA
Dubai - A.Ostapenko/LAT d. V.Kudermetova/RUS
*MOST WTA FINALS in 2020s*
9 - 1/6/2 - Ash Barty (8-1)
9 - 1/7/1 - Anett Kontaveit (5-3-1)
6 - 3/3/0 - Aryna Sabalenka (5-1)
6 - 1/5/0 - Garbine Muguruza (3-3)
6 - 5/0/1 - Elena Rybakina (1-5)
5 - 3/1/1 - Simona Halep (4-1)
5 - 0/4/1 - Barbora Krejcikova (3-2)
5 - 2/3/0 - Karolina Pliskova (1-4)
4 - 0/4/0 - Dasha Kasatkina (2-2)
4 - 0/2/2 - VERONIKA KUDERMETOVA (1-3)
4 - 2/2/0 - Elise Mertens (1-3)
4 - 3/1/0 - Victoria Azarenka (0-3+W)
*RECENT MATCH-UPS IN EVENT S/D FINALS*
2018 Shenzhen - Halep vs. Siniakova (WS: Halep; WD: Begu/Halep)
2018 Lugano - Mertens vs. Sabalenka (WS: Mertens; WD: Flipkens/Mertens)
2022 Dubai - Ostapenko vs. V.Kudermetova (WS: Ostapenko; WD: Kudermetova/Mertens)
*ALL-UNSEEDED SF IN 2020s*
2020 Lexington = Brady/Gauff, Teichmann/WC Rogers
2020 Istanbul = Tig/Q Martincova, Q Bouchard/Badosa
2021 Eastbourne = WC Ostapenko/Rybakina, Kontaveit/Q Giorgi
2021 Gydnia: SE Zanevska/Kozlova, Kucova/Korpatsch
2022 Dubai: Ostapenko/Halep, V.Kudermetova/Q Vondrousova
*2020s WTA WD TITLES*
9 - Katerina Siniakova, CZE (1/6/2)
7 - Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (1/5/1)
6 - Shuko Aoyama, JPN (1/5/0)
6 - Hsieh Su-wei, TPE (4/2/0)
6 - ELISE MERTENS, BEL (1/4/1)
6 - Ena Shibahara, JPN (1/5/0)
NOTA BENE:
— Dmytro Natalukha (@DmytroNatalukha) February 19, 2022
This is not a #UkraineCrisis
This is a #RussiaCrisis
As in 2014 #RussiaInvadedUkraine pic.twitter.com/0usChzwWGa
My "first" chapbook is making the rounds again after I had to split from the publisher (a 3-year saga ??), and my 3rd one will come out later this year. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you would order a copy of Coronary Truth. https://t.co/RQIxkSZQ2A #poetry #chapbooks
— Diane Elayne Dees (@WomenWhoServe) February 15, 2022
Is there a gold medal for most adorable video on the Internet? "I’m a stuck-asaurus." ?? (??: IG/TT/chasing.sage) pic.twitter.com/XNa4TqQeFZ
— E! News (@enews) February 9, 2022
Chris Farley would have turned 58 today. RIP, Chris. pic.twitter.com/l5ehf0GwQ5
— Rex Chapman???? (@RexChapman) February 15, 2022
Maybe the greatest airport reunion ever pic.twitter.com/0PIfiwNrzm
— Giles Paley-Phillips (@eliistender10) January 8, 2020
Does your tournament have a bird ceremony? No? Then maybe your tournament should try harder. pic.twitter.com/qYvxigOaGh
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) February 19, 2022
How many black dots do you see? pic.twitter.com/oDTlqVa3ux
— Chris the Logo Designer (@chrisxtillman) February 17, 2022
Breaking Boundaries ??
— wta (@WTA) February 15, 2022
For #BlackHistoryMonth, experience the digital exhibit from the @TennisHalloFame featuring interactive profiles that highlight on-court achievements and much more! ??
Why would they park a car only a few meters from the baseline? ????????? https://t.co/Zh6IRvLRCU
— Kovinic Danka (@DankaKovinic) February 19, 2022
Pearl Beach, Bora Bora ???? pic.twitter.com/EyALa4b6cm
— Racket (@racketbrand) February 18, 2022
We lost a legend
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 19, 2022
RIP Charley Taylor
RIP #42. His most memorable catch. https://t.co/DEMH1U65oJ via @YouTube
— Kevin Sheehan (@kevinsheehanDC) February 20, 2022