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Friday, May 27, 2022

RG.6- The Unfortunate Czech


The Czechs tennis past, present and future has been and promises to be filled with a parade of champions drawn from a system that produces winners in numbers that would seem to far outpace what should be possible from a nation of its stature.

In recent years there's been Petra, and Karolina, and Lucie and Barbora (more than one, actually) and Marketa and, well, you get the idea. The juniors are filled with what looks like what might be an even larger wave of Czech talent set to descend on the tour in short order. We've gotten early tastes of the Fruhvirtovas, and Linda Noskova nearly cracked open the group's slam future in her debut match in Paris earlier this week (vs. Emma Raducanu).

Maybe the most interesting -- and alternately mysterious and frustrating -- of the current lot may just be Karolina Muchova. On Friday, Muchova was once again dealt a hand that the Tennis Gods are gonna have to explain to the rest of us one of these days.



It could be that Muchova, 25, might be the best of the Czech bunch, as she is blessed with a pleasing-to-watch game that blends both grace and power, her gameday exploits are filled with variety and well-placed aggression. Dangerous on serve as well as in her return game, her athleticism shines in all facets of her tennis. Muchova has proven to be adept at achievement on big stages, too, reaching QF in both of her appearances at Wimbledon (2019/21), a SF at the Australian Open (2021), putting together second week runs at three difference majors less than three full seasons into her slam career, and maintaining a consistent level of result that has seen her win multiple matches in eight of her thirteen appearances in slam events. She upset then-#1 Ash Barty in Melbourne in the AO held *before* the Aussie took the title, and has recorded four wins over Top 6 players in majors, doing so at three different slams.

The glimpses have been more than promising, but how good might Muchova actually be? Well, it's hard to tell, since we never get a very good, or long, look at her.

Often beset by injuries, Muchova's rise has been curtailed by her inability to stay on the court. An abdominal injury ended her season following last year's U.S. Open, and this Roland Garros was only the Czech's fourth event since her return. Today against #27-seeded Amanda Anisimova, Muchova seemed primed for a big day, and one that perhaps could prove to be a stepping stone toward something even grander in a RG draw increasingly bereft of top seeds.



A fine opening set, layered with back-and-forth swings of excellence, ensued between the two women in their 3rd Round encounter today. Muchova and Anisimova exchanged breaks mid-set, then the Bannerette saved a BP to hold for 5-4. Anisimova held a SP on the Czech's serve a game later (she missed on a backhand return). After a battle of chip shots at the net, a Muchova lob gave her a BP chance in game #11. As Anisimova waited for the cheering crowd to calm, the chair umpire needlessly issued a time violation warning just seconds before the start of an important point. Anisimova managed to avoid distraction and get into the rally that would soon come, but then saw a forehand fly to give Muchova the break and a 6-5 lead.

Anisimova saved a SP on Muchova's serve, then broke her on her second BP to force a TB. Anisimova played a great breaker... until she didn't. The 2019 RG semifinalist led 5-1, but then narrowly missed on a pair of shots near the line, then DF'd to put the TB back on serve at 5-4. A long Anisimova return knotted the score, and was followed by a Muchova down the line forehand to give the Czech a SP at 6-5. Moments later, Anisimova held a SP at 7-6, only to miss a shot at the net when she didn't let the ball bounce and then shot a drive volley forehand long. On Muchova's third SP, Anisimova's missed drop shot gave the Czech a 9-7 win.



A great match seemed possible, but it wasn't meant to be.

Between sets, Muchova had her left thigh (groin) wrapped, then struggled with the tightness of the bandages and dropped serve to open the 2nd set. Anisimova held for 2-0, and Muchova tore off much of the covering tape on her thigh. Anisimova gave back the break with a sloppy game (3 UE + 1 DF). But soon after Muchova caught her foot on the terre battue and rolled her ankle in game #5, falling to the clay. After an MTO, she quickly dropped serve. The Czech managed a BP a game later (Anisimova got the hold), but it was clear that Muchova's movement was hindered and that she was going to have to make a decision soon about her fate in the match. Anisimova took the set 6-2.



Severely limited, Muchova dropped serve to open the 3rd. Wiping away tears in her next service game, she was broken again and it was clear that her RG was over. She retired three games into the set, once again seeing her path blocked by something other than an opponent who couldn't be beaten.



While Anisimova advances into her second straight slam Round of 16, and at a fourth major in her career, Muchova is once again left to wonder "What if?" Not to mention when, if ever, she's going to catch something other than an unfortunate break.




=DAY 6 NOTES=
...meanwhile, in Day 6's episode of RG scheduling misadventures, aka the art of scheduling nearly all of the eight women's matches atop one another in the early hours of the day, seemingly as the "undercard/preliminaries/lead-ins/opening acts" (or whatever condescending reference fits best) before the "real" tournament action begins.




At one point today, six of the eight women's 3rd Round matches had been or were being played while just *one* of the eight men's matches had even started.

Not that this is a new phenomenon, as the same sort of scheduling occurred last year. At the time, one figured that the practice would cease the deeper into the second week things got. But, as I remember, the stacking of the women's matches like Pringle's crisps didn't end. So, there you go.

...while Amanda Anisimova has traveled this way before in a major, so has #17 Leylah Fernandez. Not only did the Canadian teen make her fabled run to the U.S. Open final last summer (one that was arguably even *more* impressive than that of the eventual champ? It's at least a discussion.), but she actually reached the 3rd Round in her Paris debut in 2020, as well.

After her New York run included wins over the likes of Osaka, Kerber, Svitolina and Sabalenka, Fernandez got the chance at her first big "trophy win" today against #14 Belinda Bencic, who'd dispatched Leylah's fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu in the 2nd Round.

After Fernandez had taken a 3-0 lead in the opening set, Bencic rallied and served for the 1st at 5-4, leading 40/15. But, in a move with more than a few shades of her hard-nosed and exhilarating Flushing Meadows performances, Fernandez got the break, held and then broke the Swiss yet again to snatch the set from her clutches.

Bencic won the 2nd, and led 2-0 in the 3rd, with triple GP for more, only to see Fernandez sweep the final five points (one via a Bencic DF on her final GP) and get the set back on serve. Fernandez saved a BP in both the fourth and sixth games of the set, then followed up by racing to a love/40 lead on Bencic's serve, breaking for a 4-3 edge with a Bencic DF providing the final point.

After opening another game with a 40/love lead and holding for 5-3, Fernandez served for the match at 5-4, only to see her 30/15 edge dissolve and Bencic get the set back on serve. But the Swiss momentum didn't last long. The Canadian got the break back a game later, then authored a love hold to close out the 7-5/3-6/7-5 win.



Fernandez will get Anisimova in the Round of 16, more than two months after the Bannerette grabbed her things and suddenly walked off court (for good, without explanation) against her after having dropped a 2nd set TB at love (knotting the match) in their 2nd Round encounter in Indian Wells in March. Of course, that was right in the middle of Anisimova's post-AO run/Cahill "partnership" and what became her rebounding spring on the clay after a severe dip during the spring hard court season in the U.S.. Anisimova seems far more put together now, plus her history of a semifinal run three years ago at RG surely won't hurt her chances to make the match a good one this time around.

But, then again, while Fernandez will always be associated with the U.S. Open because of her Connors-esque string of performances there last year (and that she'll celebrate her birthday during the event each year for the rest of her career), she's not too shabby in Paris, either. 7-2 at the Open, Fernandez is now 5-2 at RG (vs. a combined 0-4 at AO/WI). Plus, she was the '19 RG girls champ, too.

This could get interesting, especially since Fernandez laid some groundwork for good crowd support in the next round, using her bilingual nature to appeal to the Parisian crowd today. I don't know what she said here, but here's to the notion that it might help her avoid being booed in her next match (well, I mean, unless the crowd is "in a mood," which is always a distinct possbility at this major).



...in a match-up of the youngest (18) and oldest (36) players left in the draw, #18 Coco Gauff continued to succeed while flying well under the radar (who'd have thought *that* was possible a few years ago?), eliminating Kaia Kanepi in straights to reach the Round of 16 in Paris for a second straight year ('21 QF).



While Gauff may not have any particular "signature moments" in '22, as she's only recorded one SF result and reached just a lone QF in six previous 1000/slam events this season, the rollercoaster nature of her matches of a year ago has lessened. She continues to thrive in majors, as this round gives the teenager second week runs in three of the last five slams, and at five of the eleven in which she's appeared in her career.

There remains a distinct possibility that this RG could provide Gauff with her long-predicted slam breakout result (SF+), as the bottom half of the draw (even though it contains some real firecrackers) still features just one player seeded higher than her #18-seeded self (#17 Fernandez). Few players have arrived with less of a surprise than Gauff did several years ago. It was difficult to escape her, no matter how much one might have wanted to avoid the incessant hype that accompanied her debut results. Thankfully, she's settled in since, and the time seems right for her second act to begin (at 18, as crazy as that sounds). If such a thing were to happen in Paris, it truly would be a result that might take a few people by surprise since Gauff has somewhat drifted out of the IT-IS-DEMANDED-THAT-SHE-BE-THE-TOP-STORY era that came along with her 2019 debut and Round of 16 run at age 15 at Wimbledon.

The time gap has served her well, really. Though she was always mature for her age, 2020 and all that happened that year seemed to ground her even more. A deep run at this slam would be a wonderful thing for her, the tour and tennis in general, and would serve to add still another legitimate big-time attraction to a women's game that has restocked itself, with more waves coming (i.e. The Crush), while "the Williams era" has slowly come to its inevitable (if not yet "official") close.

Meanwhile, Gauff was happy to talk about her love for the sport in her post-match interview, noting that she doesn't do it "for the ranking points," thereby becoming the latest player to chime in when discussing the issue of Wimbledon and likely alluding to the comments made by Naomi Osaka after her loss the other day (Osaka noted yesterday on Twitter how much people talk about her... though she sort of brings it on herself, yes?).

While the two are still linked by their U.S. Open meeting of a few seasons ago, they have proven to be oh so different since that night. While Gauff once had intense attention before she'd really done anything in the sport, she hasn't actively courted it since its gone away; while the slam-winning and seemingly ever-present Osaka consistently does and says things that can only bring her great(er) attention, while at the same time acting as if she wants none of it and doesn't understand why it comes her way. Gauff comes off as genuine, while Osaka hasn't seemed to learn how to avoid having eyebrow-raising reactions reflexively (and instinctively?) accompany nearly everything she says and does. It'll be interesting to see how things change with both Gauff and Osaka, if they do, as both of their careers wear on.



...as is often the case, #31 Elise Mertens continues to move rather stealthily through another slam MD. Playing in her 17th straight slam 3rd Round, Mertens advanced in straight sets over Varvara Gracheva (Dasha Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova will get their chances tomorrow to make it at least one Hordette in the Round of 16 at a 76th of 86 majors). The win places Mertens' in the 11th 4th Round of her slam career, third in a row, and for the eighth time in the last eleven majors.



Having reached at least the 3rd Round in all seven of her RG appearances, this is just Mertens' second time (w/ 2018) in the Round of 16 in Paris. She'll face Gauff.

...Italian Martina Trevisan stands one win away from her second RG quarterfinal run in three years. Her 3 & 4 victory today over wild card Dasha Saville gives Trevisan eight consecutive wins, while she's now claimed fourteen straight sets (with only one being closer than 6-3... Iga, who?).



Trevisan won't be facing fellow Week 20 tour-level singles champion Angelique Kerber next, though. Kerber's own seven-match winning streak came to a close today at the hands of Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who defeated the #21 seed 6-4/7-6(5) -- of course there has to be a TB in there -- to reach just her second career slam Round of 16 ('18 Wimbledon, a tournament incidentally won by Kerber).



Last year, Kerber needed the grass season in order to right her slow-starting '21 campaign. She pulled it off, going 11-2, winning a title and reaching the Wimbledon semifinals. The German accelerated things after a slow start a little earlier this year with her 7-1 final push on clay, taking a title in Strasbourg and posting her best RG result since 2018 (she hadn't won *any* matches in Paris since). What will this mean for the next month or so?

Well, Angie is probably already sleeping with a blade of grass under her pillow.

...the first of the final two Pastries in the draw, 19-year old Diane Parry, fell 6-2/6-3 to Sloane Stephens, who advances into the second week in Paris for the eighth time in her career.



French wild card Leolia Jeanjean plays tomorrow.



...on more than one occasion on Friday, #23 Jil Teichmann's Roland Garros epitaph seemed ready to be written. As #15 Victoria Azarenka edged closer to victory (and then when she did again), the receipts were being collected on the 24-year old Swiss' successful clay court season and how the confidence and momentum she'd gained during this swing of the tour schedule might finally propel her toward a more consistent run this summer in the sort of events where she's often flashed but maybe couldn't sustain elite-level heroics in the weeks that followed. It was an encouraging reality, but she was going to have to learn from her not-quite-good enough efforts of this day.

But Teichmann wasn't ready to go just yet.



Teichman grabbed the lead early in the match against the Belarusian veteran, assuming an early break advantage and leading 3-0. Serving up 3-1 and 40/15, the Swiss held four GP (she DF'd on one) before Azarenka got the break on her first BP opportunity in the game. With things getting late in the set, Azarenka broke for 5-4 and then held to take the 1st.

Azarenka seemed to pull away in the 2nd set, going up 3-1 and holding her lead at 4-3, within reach of the match finish line. She held a pair of GP in game #8 to get within a single game of her second straight 4th Round in Paris, one year after reaching her first second week at RG since 2013. But Teichmann's break on her third BP chance turned the tide of the entire production. Azarenka had barely escaped the 1st Round after losing multiple leads in a match, and now two rounds later the scenario was threatening to breathe life into her opponent's chances once again.

On serve late in the set, Teichmann opened game #11 with a DF but held for 6-5. With Azarenka needing to hold to force a potentially match-ending TB, she donated four UE in the game and the Swiss took the set 7-5.



If Teichmann, for as long as she could remember, had always wanted to be a grand slam 4th Rounder. Well, now she had her chance. She didn't let her opportunity slip away, but not before Azarenka again got within an eyelash of the win.

After saving two BP in the opening game, Teichmann broke Azarenka for a 2-0 lead. Azarenka immediately broke back, then held after saving a BP a game later, knotting the 3rd set at 2-2. Another late break of serve gave the Belarusian the chance to serve out the match at 5-4. But this time she couldn't hold Teichmann back. The Swiss broke her at 15 to stay alive, then held at love.



Down 5-6, Azarenka got the hold of serve she needed to survive, helped along by a missed overhead by Teichmann at 15/30 that might have set her up with double MP. With the match coming down to a 10-point TB, Azarenka's framed reflex block at the baseline suddenly became a line-touching lob winner that prevented Teichmann from taking an early mini-break lead. The Swiss got that edge a point later, then extended it to 4-1, a big enough cushion to allow her to never relinquish her grip on the breaker. Another win of an Azarenka serve pushed Teichmann's lead to a commanding 8-3, and she then rode her increasing wave of momentum to a 4-6/7-5/7-6(5) victory that took more than three hours, attaining her maiden appearance in the second week of a major.



Whether Paris and the greater tennis public falls for Teichmann over the next week remains to be seen, but the plotline is now officially in play. With Sloane Stephens up next, another former slam champion will make the Swiss a potential headline grabber and give her the chance to further burnish the growing confidence that has finally allowed her to string together eye-popping results in multiple events rather than intriguing stand-alone moments that seem to hint that much more is possible if she can just get out of her own way and let the love flow.

They say that "Paris is for lovers." Well, maybe Jil is ready to sweep the city off its feet. What will the Future hold?



...at the J1 Charleroi-Marcinelle junior tournament in Belgium, the final will pit 16-year old Rose Marie Nijkamp (girls' #137 from NED) against Hordette Alina Korneeva, 14 (#77). It'll be the biggest title yet for whichever is crowned champion. Nijkamp has already won the doubles with fellow Waffle Flo Helsen.

...at the Annecy Open in France, Yui Kamiji is busy building up momentum heading into the Roland Garros wheelchair event. After winning the doubles with KG Montjane, she's also set to play the singles final against countrywoman Momoko Ohtani. The world #2 is currently on an eight-match winning streak in singles, and has won her last seven in doubles, as well.

Unless something changes, considering she did sit out the World Team Cup final with an injury a few weeks ago, #1 Diede de Groot should be set to attempt to defend her RG title in Paris.




*WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16*
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
x vs. x
Martina Trevisan/ITA vs. Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR
#17 Leylah Fernandez/CAN vs. #27 Amanda Anisimova/USA
#31 Elise Mertens/BEL vs. #18 Coco Gauff/USA
#23 Jil Teichmann/SUI vs. Sloane Stephens/USA

=WOMEN'S DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
x vs. x
x vs. #8 Gauff/Pegula (USA/USA)
#4 McNally/S.Zhang (USA/CHN) vs. Kostyuk/Ruse (UKR/ROU)
x vs. (PR) Keys/Townsend (USA/USA)
Zanevska/Zimmermann (BEL/BEL) vs. L.Chan/Stosur (TPE/AUS)
#14 L.Kichenok/Ostapenko (UKR/LAT) vs. x
x vs. (WC) Garcia/Mladenovic (FRA/FRA)
x vs. x

=MIXED DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
Haddad Maia/Soares (BRA/BRA) vs. Mirza/Dodig (IND/CRO)
H.Chan/McLachlan (TPE/JPN) vs. Melichar-Martinez/Krawietz (USA/GER)
#4 Krawczyk/N.Skupski (USA/GBR) vs. Sanders/Gille (AUS/BEL)
(WC) Burel/Gaston (FRA/FRA) vs. Eikeri/Vliegen (NOR/BEL)
x vs. Hradecka/Escobar (CZE/ECU)
Rosolska/Kubot (POL/POL) vs. #3 Dabrowski/Peers (CAN/AUS)
L.Kichenok/Matos (UKR/BRA) vs. Stosur/Ebden (AUS/AUS)
Schuurs/Middelkoop (NED/NED) vs. #2 Shibahara/Koolhof (JPN/NED)







...SINCE ONE MIGHT NEED A REMINDER WITH THIS STORY... ON DAY 6:

Yes, it is indeed 2022. This is 2022, and it's only happening *now*.





...QUESTION ON DAY 6:

The Rolex ad says that it is said "that victory belongs to the most obstinate," while the ring around Chatrier says that "victory belongs to the most tenacious."

So, which is best?

Meanwhile, Napoleon is said to have said, that "victory belongs to the most persevering."

Hmm, to add another note, the Chatrier quote comes from the maxim that was engraved across the propeller of the plane of the same aviator for which Roland Garros is named. We know for sure because that propeller was recovered from the wreckage of his fatal crash in Ardennes late in World War I.

Ummm.


...FUN ON DAY 6:

"Top Gun" references on tour Twitter...





...SLOANE AND HER PHARMACIES ON DAY 6:




...THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHOT IN TENNIS (whomever is hitting it) ON DAY 6:











I've always been particularly fond of the Beach Boys' "Sloop John B"...








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**WTA "CAREER ROUND OF 16 SLAM" - active**
[with slam at which completed]
Victoria Azarenka - 2009 Wimbledon (15th)
Genie Bouchard - 2014 US Open (5th)
Alize Cornet - 2020 US Open (57th)
Simona Halep - 2014 Wimbledon (17th)
Kaia Kanepi - 2022 Australian (53rd)
Angelique Kerber - 2013 Australian (21st)
Madison Keys - 2016 Roland Garros (16th)
Barbora Krejcikova - 2022 Australian (8th)
Petra Kvitova - 2011 Australian (11th)
Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2005 Australian (11th)
Petra Martic - 2019 US Open (32nd)
Elise Mertens - 2019 Wimbledon (12th)
Garbine Muguruza - 2017 US Open (20th)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova - 2017 Australian (37th)
Karolina Pliskova - 2018 Wimbledon (25th)
Sloane Stephens - 2013 US Open (10th)
Iga Swiatek - 2021 US Open (11th)
Elina Svitolina - 2018 Australian (22nd)
Donna Vekic - 2021 Australian (29th)
Serena Williams - 2000 Wimbledon (8th)
Venus Williams - 1998 Wimbledon (6th)
Vera Zvonareva - 2004 US Open (11th)
--
NOTE: Sabalenka would join list w/ 3rd Rd. win (18th slam)




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TOP QUALIFIER: #2q Jule Niemeier/GER (slam MD debut; 7 games lost in 3 Q-matches)
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #1 Iga Swiatek/POL
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q2: #10q Viktoriya Tomova/BUL def. Marina Melnikova/RUS 2-6/7-5/6-0 (trailed 6-2/5-1; reached MD as LL)
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 1st Rd. - #21 Angelique Kerber/GER def. Magdalena Frech/POL (2-6/6-3/7-5; Kerber saves 2 MP, fans chant name)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.-WC): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #26 Sorana Cirstea/ROU (def. Maria/GER)
FIRST SEED OUT: #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN (1st Rd. to Magda Linette/POL)
FIRST SLAM MD WINS: Fernanda Contreras/MEX, Elsa Jacquemot/FRA, Leolia Jeanjean/FRA, Katie Volynets/USA
UPSET QUEENS: France
REVELATION LADIES: Czech Republic
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Hungary (0-4 1st Rd., Galfi 2 MP in loss)
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Fernanda Contreras/MEX, Olga Danilovic/SRB, Aleksandra Krunic/SRB, Donna Vekic/CRO (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: in 3r: Jeanjean/FRA, Saville/AUS(L)
PROTECTED RANKING BEST: Bianca Andreescu/CAN (2nd Rd.)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: in 3r: Cornet, Jeanjean, Parry
Ms./Mademoiselle OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "TBD": Nominees: Parry, Jeanjean, Q.Zheng, Teichmann
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominee: Saville, Stephens
CRASH & BURN: #6 Ons Jabeur/TUN (1st Rd. to Linette; Madrid W/Rome RU - previous three who reached both finals also reached RG final); #2 Barbora Krejcikova/CZE (DC; 1st Rd. to Parry, led 6-1/2-0)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Top Nominees (of far too many to list here): Stephens (1st Rd.: set and 4-4 down vs. Niemeier, sitter for love/30 down on serve in 2nd; 2nd Rd.: down 6-2/2-0 vs. Cirstea, won 12 con. games); Kerber (1st Rd. - Frech served for match, held 2 MP); Danilovic (3 Q-round comeback; 1st Rd saved 2 MP vs. Galfi)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
Mademoiselle/Madame OF THE EVENING: Nominee: Cornet vs. Ostapenko
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Alize Cornet/FRA
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: Diane Parry, FRA (one-handed backhand) Additional nominee: Swiatek






All for Day 6. More tomorrow.
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