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Saturday, June 27, 2026

Wk.25- A Peek at Peak Muchova

In her pinnacle era?









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*WEEK 25 CHAMPIONS*
BAD HOMBURG, GERMANY (WTA 500; Grass Outdoor)
S: Karolina Muchova/CZE def. Naomi Osaka/JPN 6-1/1-0 ret.
WD: Aldila Sutjiadi/Vera Zvonareva (INA/RUS) def. Ellen Perez/Demi Schuurs (AUS/NED) 6-1/4-6 [10-5]
EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND (WTA 250; Grass Outdoor)
S: Madison Keys/USA def. Tatjana Maria/GER 7-5/6-4
WD: Dabrowski/Stefani (CAN/BRA) vs. Maleckova/Skoch (CZE/CZE)




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PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Karolina Muchova/CZE and Madison Keys/USA
...we may never truly experience *peak* Muchova for a full season, but 2026 -- outside of the majors, where she's gone 4r/3r -- has given us a pretty good idea of what that might look like.

In Bad Homburg, the Czech reached her third final of the season and claimed her second '26 title (both career season highs), not losing a set vs. the likes of Irina-Camelia Begu, Clara Tauson, Gabriela Ruse and Naomi Osaka, who retired in the final shortly after dropping the opening set, to win her first grass crown.

Before this season, Muchova hadn't won a tour title since 2019, losing in four straight finals.

She'll climb back into the Top 10, reaching #9 and sending countrywoman Linda Noskova, the champ in Berlin, down to #11 after a brief one-week stint in the Top 10.

Muchova's only loss on grass this month? To Keys in the 2nd Round in Berlin.

But this doesn't mean a deep run is imminent at SW19. The Czech was a shining light in her first two Wimbledon appearances, reaching the QF in both 2019 and '21, but has gone 0-4 there since.



Meanwhile, the English lawns have always been Keys' friend.

The Bannerette won her maiden tour title at age 19 in Eastbourne in 2014, then picked up two more grass titles ('16 Birmingham, '23 Eastbourne) in later years, improving to 3-0 in tour finals on the surface.

Keys was back in Eastbourne this week, and the familiarity proved beneficial once again. She didn't lose a set all week as she coasted to victories over Talia Gibson, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (losing 1 game), McCartney Kessler and Petra Marcinko (who ret. after the 1st set) before facing her toughest match, a 7-5/6-4 win in the final over the always-tricky Tatjana Maria.

Keys is now a three-time Eastbourne champ. It's the most titles any woman has won in the event since Martina Navratilova won her *eleventh* crown back in 1993. Chris Evert is the only other three-time winner (w/ all three coming between 1974-79).



Keys is now an impressive 11-5 in career tour finals, winning in her last six appearances. Her last lost came in the pre-Covid Brisbane final (vs. Pliskova) in 2020, and she's 8-1 since she lost in the '17 U.S. Open final to Sloane Stephens.

Keys has never played into the deepest rounds at the All-England Club, though, with her best results a pair of QF eight years apart (2015 and '23).
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RISER: Gabriela Ruse/ROU
...Ruse got off to a great start back in January, qualifying in both Brisbane and Adelaide, then reaching the AO 3rd Round. But she had just one multi-win event (Linz) since until this grass season, when she reached the QF at Rosmalen.

She followed up with another Q-run in Bad Homburg, knocking off Zhang Shuai and Taylor Townsend, then stringing together three straight upsets of Berlin champ Linda Noskova, Anna Kalinskaya and Nottingham finalist Emma Navarro. Ruse lost in the SF to Karolina Muchova, but will climb back into the Top 100 in the final pre-Wimbledon rankings after going 7-2 so far on the lawns. She'll face Caty McNally in the SW19 1st Round (w/ likely Elena Rybakina next if she can get the win).



Thus far, though, Ruse is 0-5 in her Wimbledon career.
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SURPRISE: Naomi Osaka/JPN
...having already had her best career result at Roland Garros (4r) this spring, Osaka continued her Surface Redemption Tour in Bad Homburg, reaching her maiden grass court final, her first on any surface since Montreal last summer.

Wins over Magdalena Frech, Elise Mertens, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Wang Xinyu without dropping a set put Osaka in her fourteenth career tour singles final, but she retired against Karolina Muchova after dropping the 1st set with a foot injury. It's Osaka's second retirement from a final (w/ '25 Auckland) in her three tour-level final apperances since her return from maternity leave.

The last time she didn't complete a final the week before a major (in the Cincy/NYC event in 2020, giving a walkover title to Vika Azarenka), though, she went on to win the 2020 U.S. Open (def. Azarenka in the final).

Excluding her clay court win at a 125 in May of last year, Osaka's WTA title drought continues. Her last tour-level win gave her a fourth career major title, at the 2021 Australian Open. She's gone 0-4 since.

Osaka's best Wimbledon result has been three 3rd Round runs (2017-18, '25).


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VETERAN: Tatjana Maria/GER
...Maria didn't need a wild card or to go through qualifying to reach the MD at Eastbourne, and the 38-year old German once again proved to be one of the most troublesome grass courters on tour.

Off her Queen's Club disrespect despite being the event's first defending champion in more the half a century (she still qualified and nearly upset Rybakina for a second straight year in the tournament), and a QF at Nottingham, Maria swept her way into her fifth career tour final with straights sets wins over top seeded Jasmine Paolini, Anastasia Zakharova and Tereza Valentova, as well as a retirement while leading Alona Ostapenko 6-1/1-2 in the semis.



Maria gave Madison Keys her best match of the week in the title match, but lost in a tight 7-5/6-4 contest.

It's Maria's first loss in her five tour-level finals, as she failed to add a third different grass court trophy (w/ '18 Mallorca and '25 Queen Club) to her collection.

Maria was a surprise Wimbledon semifinalist in 2022, but has gone 0-3 at SW19 since. Other than her final four run effort, she's gone out in the 1r/2r in 11 of 12 other MD appearances dating back 19 years.
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COMEBACKS: Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS and Clara Tauson/DEN
...Alexandrova's rebound week actually started in Berlin, as she and Linda Noskova finished off their suspended doubles SF and then took the title in the final vs. Sara Errani & Nicole Melichar-Martinez.



Then the Hordette was off the Bad Homburg, where she posted her best singles week since reaching the Abu Dhabi final in early February.

Standing at just 7-15, Alexandrova had nearly dropped out of the Top 20 after climbing into the Top 10 late in 2025. In Bad Homburg, she posted wins over Ann Li and Mirra Andreeva, the latter her first Top 10 win since Stuttgart last year (and her first Top *20* victory of '26).

Alexandrova lost a round short of the SF to Naomi Osaka, but will bump her ranking back into the Top 15. She's reached the Round of 16 in her last two apperances at Wimbledon.



After experiencing a breakout '25 season -- climbing to #12, playing in her first 1000 final in Dubai (+ the Montreal semis), notching four Top 10 wins (including over #1 Sabalenka and #3 Swiatek), and recording her most slam match wins (7) in a single season -- Tauson has had a hard time getting going this year. While she reached an early season SF in Abu Dhabi, injuries (a consistent issue in her career) have thwarted any sort of forward progress. She came into the week at 8-13 on the year, with seven straight losses (2 via retirement).

But Bad Homburg provided a port in the storm, as she knocked off both Diana Shnaider and Zheng Qinwen for her first consecutive wins since February. She took the 1st set from Karolina Muchova, as well, but the Czech rallied to win their QF in three.



Tauson will next be defending last year's Round of 16 Wimbledon result.
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FRESH FACES: Petra Marcinko/CRO and Wang Xinyu/CHN
...Marcinko is this slam season's version of "Maya Joint '25," shining in the week before multiple majors. The 20-year old Croatian picked up her maiden tour title in Rabat the week before the start of Roland Garros, and in her turn in this week's pre-Wimbledon stop in Easbourne she fell in qualifying but played all the way into the SF as a lucky loser.

Despite a loss to Daria Snigur in the final round of qualifying, Marcinko quickly rebounded to save five MP vs. countrywoman Antonia Ruzic in the 1st Round, winning a TB to advance. Victories over Kimberly Birrell and Caty McNally followed before she was forced to retire due to an apparent abdominal injury after dropping the opening set of her SF vs. Madison Keys.

She'll jump to a new career high around #46 ahead of Wimbledon and what will be her third consecutive '26 MD debut at a major. Marcinko posted a 1st Round AO win, but failed to do so at RG.



Meanwhile, Wang's SF finish in Bad Homburg was her best result since reaching the Auckland final back in Week 1.



Wins over Renata Zarazua and Leylah Fernandez put Wang into the QF, where she received a walkover from Elina Svitolina. She then fell in the SF to Naomi Osaka, but will jump from #52 to back inside the Top 40 with her result.

Wang reached the 4th Round at Wimbledon two summers ago, upsetting Jessie Pegula in the 2nd Round.
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DOUBLES: Aldila Sutjiadi/Vera Zvonareva (INA/RUS)
...the first time Sutjiadi and Zvonareva teamed up, they reached the Rabat final in the days before the start of Roland Garros. In their second outing, days before the start of Wimbledon, the pair reached the final and claimed the crown in Bad Homburg.

The duo's run began (1r vs. Kempen/Panova) and ended (F vs. Perez/Schuurs) with MTB victories, as Sutjiadi picked up her seventh tour title (first on grass) while 41-year old Zvonareva won her seventeenth.

The last of the Original Hordettes, Zvonareva's most recent grass court doubles finals came twenty-one ('05 Eastbourne) and sixteen ('10 Wimbledon, when she also reached the singles final) years ago. Her last title of any kind on the surface before this one came twenty years ago, a 2006 singles win in Birmingham in a two-TB final over Jamea Jackson (who'd upset Sharapova in the SF to reach what was her only WTA singles final).

Jackson is two years *younger* than Zvonareva, but has now been retired for seventeen years (due to a recurring hip injury).



The Eastbourne doubles final was pushed back multiple times on Saturday due to rain, and will now take place on Sunday featuring Gaby Dabrowski/Luisa Stefani against Czech Crushers Jesika Maleckova & Miriam Skoch.
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WHEELCHAIR: Diede de Groot/NED
...de Groot might just be all the way back. Could a return to the #1 ranking be far behind?

The reigning RG champ carried over her comeback vibes to the grass in Eastbourne, claiming the 500 event with wins over both of the top Chinese players, Wang Ziying in three sets in the SF, then Li Xiaohui in a 6-4/7-5 final.

Li & Wang reached the doubles final vs. Ksenia Chasteau & Zhu Zhenzhen, but it was suspended due to rain during a 1st set TB.
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*TOP WIMBLEDON QUALIFIERS*

Robin Montgomery, USA (21, #194)

...having won her maiden tour title last time out at Rosmalen, Montgomery keeps her '26 grasscourt record spotless (9-0) with a Q-run that included a final round come-from-behind three-set win over Marina Bassols Ribera after having to take an MTO after dropping the 1st set.
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Bianca Andreescu, CAN (26, #180)

...Andreescu's comeback has taken on a long-form structure with no clear ending, but she at least fashioned a nice plot point for herself this week in Wimbledon qualifying by stringing together three wins, the last two over #24 Jil Teichmann in three sets, and #15 Aliaksandra Sasnovich in two after trailing 5-2 in the 2nd, denying Sasnovich when she served for the set, saving three SP to get to a TB and then coming back from 3-1 down to win it 7-4. It'll be her first slam MD appearance since the 2024 U.S. Open.


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Kayla Day, USA (26, #138)

...Day was the lone women's qualifier to reach the MD without dropping a set, taking out Erika Andreeva and Katarzyna Kawa in her last two matches. After recently revealing that she's lost both of her parents over the past year, she'll now make her Wimbledon debut.
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Anastasia Gasanova, RUS (27, #210)

...a few years ago, Gasanova made headlines for all the wrong reasons. But she's never gone away, and has instead built her way back with increasingly good ITF results. She won her biggest career title (a $50K) earlier this year, and this week played her way into her first slam MD since RG22 with wins over Varvara Lepchenko (saving 4 MP) and Q-seeds Emerson Jones (#29) and Darja Semenistaja (#6).
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Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA (23, #164)

...Thailand's #1 player runs off wins in three straight three-setters, recovering from 3-1 down in the 3rd vs. #25 Mary Stoiana, then saving three MP vs. Oceane Dodin in the final Q-round.
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Teodora Kostovic, SRB (18, #184)

...the 18-year old Serb, after falling in AO and RG qualifying earlier this year, reached her maiden slam MD with back-to-back seeded wins over #16 Rebecca Sramkova (from a set and a break down) and #30 Zhu Lin.
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*WI26 QUALIFIERS (#-first slam MD)*
Bianca Andreescu, CAN (26/#180)
Mariam Bolkvadze, GEO (28/#539)
Kayla Day, USA (26/#138)
Anastasia Gasanova, RUS (27/#210)
Lina Gjorcheska, MKD (31/#223)#
Tyra Grant, ITA (18/#173)#
Leolia Jeanjean, FRA (30/#133)
Alina Korneeva, RUS (19/#94)
Teodora Kostovic, SRB (18/#184)#
Ashlyn Krueger, USA (22/#96)
Polina Kudermetova, UZB (23/#116)
Claire Liu, USA (26/#145)
Robin Montgomery, USA (21/#194)
Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA (23/#164)
Iryna Shymanovich, BLR (28/#216)
Maria Timofeeva, UZB (22/#92)

*YOUNGEST 2026 SLAM QUALIFIERS*
WI - Tyra Grant, ITA (18)
RG - Alina Korneeva, RUS (18)
WI - Teodora Kostovic, SRB (18)
AO - Nikola Bartunkova, CZE (19)
WI - Alina Korneeva, RUS (19)
AO - Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (20)
RG - Elena Pridankina, RUS (20)
RG - Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP (20)

*MULTI-SLAM QUALIFIERS IN 2026*
2 - Linda Fruhvirtova, CZE (AO/RG)
2 - Alina Korneeva, RUS (RG/WI)
2 - Ashlyn Krueger, USA (RG/WI)
2 - Claire Liu, USA (RG/WI)
2 - Sloane Stephens, USA (AO/RG)

*LOW-RANKED 2026 SLAM QUALIFIERS*
#897 - Sloane Stephens, USA (AO)
#697 - Bai Zhuoxuan, CHN (AO)
#539 - Mariam Bolkvadze, GEO (WI)
#363 - Storm Hunter, AUS (AO)
#361 - Sloane Stephens, USA (RG)
#223 - Lina Gjorcheska, MKD (WI)
#220 - Elena Pridankina, RUS (RG)
#216 - Iryna Shymanovich, BLR (WI)
#215 - Susan Bandecchi, SUI (RG)
#210 - Anastasia Gasanova, RUS (WI)

*RECENT WIMBLEDON "Q-PLAYER OF THE WEEK" WINNERS*
2019 Coco Gauff, USA
2021 Ana Konjuh, CRO
2022 Maja Chwalinska, POL
2023 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ESP
2024 Katie Volynets, USA
2025 Carson Branstine, CAN
2026 Robin Montgomery, USA
[2026 slams]
AO: Guiomar Maristany, ESP
RG: Claire Liu, USA
WI: Robin Montgomery, USA





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1. Bad Homburg 2nd Rd. - Emma Navarro def. Iga Swiatek
...7-5/2-6/6-3. So, is '25 Grasscourt Iga a thing of the past? Remember, last year, Swiatek shined en route to the Bad Homburg final ahead of her unexpected title run at Wimbledon. Of course, the coach who *finally* managed to convince her to play differently on the grass (Wim Fissette) -- kicking off a run which stretched into the summer hard court season to produce her best multi-month run since spring '24 -- was put out to pasture a few months ago, so the recipe may have been lost with his departure.

Meanwhile, Navarro followed up her Nottingham final with a her second straight victory over Swiatek, rebounding from a 2nd set loss to re-set her course in the 3rd.

This one-and-done appearance in Bad Homburg marks the second time in her last six knockout events in which Swiatek failed to record a win, after she'd gone 68 consecutive knockout events dating back 2021 (and 1/81 back to RG20) before the streak ended this year in Miami.


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2. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Tereza Valentova def. Hannah Klugman
...7-5/5-7/7-5. Just your typical pro match-up of former juniors stars (Valentova won the RG girls' title, while Klugman was the jr. #1) now ranked 351 spots apart -- '25 WTA Osaka finalist Valentova at #61, Klugman #412 after getting her maiden tour MD win in Nottingham -- that lasted 3:29.

18-year old Valentova claimed a tight 1st set on her sixth SP in a third different game, and served for the match at 5-4 in the 2nd before 17-year old Klugman forced a 3rd. In the decider, Valentova again failed to serve out the match at 5-4, but broke back in the following game and made good on her second chance by converting MP #2.



Valentova pulled another squandered lead out of the fire in the next round, rallying to win in three over Ajla Tomljanovic after losing a 6-2/3-1 lead, before falling in the QF to Tatjana Maria.
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3. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Petra Marcinko def. Antonia Ruzic
...7-6(6)/4-6/7-6(4). Lucky loser Marcinko wins the all-Croatian battle.

The recent first-time tour champion (in Rabat before RG) saved the opening set, taking a 4-1 lead but being forced to save three SP (two at 5-4, then another at 6-5 in the TB) before taking an 8-6 breaker. In the 3rd, Ruzic held four MP at 5-3, and a fifth at 6-5 before Marcinko and won yet another TB to advance.
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4. Bad Homburg 2nd Rd. - Elina Svitolina def. Liudmila Samsonova
...3-6/6-3/6-2. Well, at least she's getting closer.

The moment of the Great Samsonova Flipping of the Switch appears nigh, but it's not here yet. After ending her five-match losing streak in the 1st Round with her first win since Rome, Samsonova took the opening set from Svitolina but fell in three to drop to 8-16 on the year, extending a woeful season-opening stretch for a fifth straight year.

Every year since 2022, though, the Hordette has managed to catch fire in the back-half of the year and finish above .500 at the end of the season.

Samsonova's 1-3 grass mark heading into Wimbledon includes a trio of three-set losses, but her inch-by-inch progress is real. She hadn't had a three-set loss since Indian Wells, as her next six defeats after I.W. came in straight sets before the schedule turned to the grass.
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5. Eastbourne Q1 - Anastasia Zakharova def. Lilli Tagger 6-4/5-7/7-6(7)
Eastbourne Q2 - Anastasia Zakharova def. Oksana Selekhmeteva 7-6(8)/2-6/7-6(7)
...Zakharova pulled out all the stops to reach the MD, saving MP in both of her qualifying matches, winning a pair of 3rd set TB to get there.

The Hordette saved three MP in the deciding TB vs. Tagger, then rallied from 3-0 down in the 3rd against Selekmeteva, denying the Spaniard when she served at 6-5 and then saving a MP in the tie-break.

Zakharova won a third straight three-setter in the 1st Round, but lost in her next match to "slice queen" Tatjana Maria.


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6. Wimbledon Q1 - Fiona Crawley def. Himeno Sakatsume 7-5/4-6/7-6(10-8)
Wimbledon Q2 - Fiona Crawley def. Julia Riera 6-2/3-6/7-6(10-1)
...Crawley's Q-run ultimately came up short, as she notched just two games vs. Alina Korneeva in the final round. Maybe it was because she expended so much energy just *getting* there.

After leading 7-5/4-1 vs. Sakatsume in the Q1, former NCAA #1 Crawley was forced to stage a comeback from 5-1 back in the 3rd set. She saved two MP at 5-3, and denied Sakatsume twice as she served for the match. Trailing 7-6 in the MTB, Crawley won four of the final five points to advance.

Against Riera, Crawley trailed 4-2 in the 3rd, but rallied to hold a MP at 5-4. The Argentine saved it and forced a deciding MTB, which Crawley dominated, going up 9-0 en route to a 10-1 win.

Crawley qualified at the U.S. Open back in 2023.
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7. Wimbledon Q1 - Anastasia Gasanova def. Varvara Lepchenko
...2-6/6-1/7-6(12-10). Gasanova's eventually successful qualifying attempt almost didn't get past the first obstacle. Lepchenko led 5-3 in the 3rd set in the opening round, twice serving for the match at 5-4 and 6-5. In the concluding MTB, the Bannerette led 5-1, and at 9-6 held four MP over a five-point stretch before Gasanova swept the final three points of the match to win 12-10.

Two wins later, she was in her first major MD in four years.
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8. Eastbourne 1st Rd. - Emiliana Arango def. Maya Joint
...7-6(2)/6-4. Tthe impact of Joint's 3-15 start will officially begin to take effect with this loss, since the Aussie was the defending champion at Eastbourne (one of her multiple week-before-a-major surges last year).

Heading into Wimbledon, the bottom falls out of her ranking as she drops from #53 all the way down to #87, going from the AUS #1 position to the national #4.

Unfortunately for Joint, this is probably the same look she's going to have on her face in a few days, too.


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9. Eastbourne Q1 - Sofia Johnson def. Oleksandra Oliynykova
...6-0/6-2. Afterward, Oliynykova refused to acknowledge or allow her feet to touch the grass.
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10. Eastbourne Q1 - Kimberly Birrell def. Indianna Spink
...7-6(6)/6-4. Yes, though it could be mistaken for a character in a female-driven adventure novel, that *is* her real name.

Spink is a 23-year old Brit, ranked #639, who made her tour-level qualifying debut with this match.

She's a member of the Arkansas Razorback tennis team, and won her maiden pro title earlier this season.


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11. Wimbledon Q1 - Esther Adeshina def. Moyuka Uchijima
...6-1/3-6/7-5. The Wimbledon qualifying entry in this year's "Unfamiliar Brits Putting Up Unexpected Results" contest. In this case, it's #514 Adeshina upsetting Uchijima after having trailed 4-2 in the 3rd set. Uchijima served for the win at 5-4.


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12. Wimbledon Q2 - Mananchaya Sawangkaew def. Mary Stoiana 2-6/6-4/7-5
Wimbledon Q3 - Mananchaya Sawangkaew def. Oceane Dodin 5-7/7-5/6-1
...Sawangkaew does it the hard way, rallying from 3-1 down in the decider vs. Stoiana, then saving three MP vs. Dodin in the 2nd set (two at 5-3, another at 5-4).
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13. Wimbledon Q2 - Katherine Sebov def. Noma Noha Akugue 6-4/5-7/7-5
Wimbledon Q3 - Iryna Shymanovich def. Katherine Sebov 4-6/6-3/7-6(10-5)
...what goes around comes around, as Sebov trailed 5-2 in the 3rd vs. NNA, saving a MP at 5-3, before sweeping the last five games. But with a Wimbledon MD spot on the line, the Canadian couldn't convert any of three MP at 6-5 in the 3rd vs. Shymanovich. Shymanovich then quickly went up 5-0 in the MTB, and won 10-5.
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14. Eastbourne SF - Tatjana Maria def. Alona Ostapenko 6-1/1-2 ret.
Eastbourne SF - Madison Keys def. Petra Marcinko 6-1 ret.
...and on Friday, June 26 -- the date of the Original Day of the Radwanska -- *both* semifinals in Eastbourne ended via retirement.

The ol' menace still has some juice left.


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15. Bad Homburg Final - Karolina Muchova def. Naomi Osaka 6-1/1-0 ret.
Eastbourne Final - Madison Keys def. Tatjana Maria 7-5/6-4
...two more names to throw on the pile?

It's been 22 years since one of the champions at a pre-Wimbledon WTA event went on to win at the AELTC. The last...



Before the crowning of this year's six champions (half of them Czechs, by the way), the last 85 tuneup title winners came up empty in London. Since Jana Novotna rode her title-winning momentum in Eastbourne to the 1998 Wimbledon title, Sharapova is the only woman to double-up in the 101 grass events from 1999-2025.



The six in the draw at SW19 looking to buck history: Robin Montgomery, Donna Vekic, Linda Noskova, Marie Bouzkova, and now Muchova and Keys.
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1. Bad Homburg 1st Rd. - Irina-Camelia Begu def. Venus Williams
...6-2/4-6/7-6(6). At 46, Venus still provides *moments* of brilliance, but the end result has remained the same for quite some time. This loss makes her 0-8 on the year, and extends her career-long losing streak to eleven matches. She's 8-41 in the 2020s.

Still, on the grass, Williams came close this time, serving for the win at 5-3 in the 3rd. But #211 Begu became the lowest-ranked player to defeat her since 2019.



Ahead of her re-teaming with Serena at SW19, Venus reached the doubles QF alongside Alex Eala.



Eala could face Serena Williams in the 2nd Round at Wimbledon.
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We all knew it was coming, but still...




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They're now producing videos to explain their cases. It *does* help. But it's a pity they don't put the same effort into maintaining the consistency of the penalities and treatment of the cases for *all* players.




Much of Vondrousova's issues in this case stem from her (and, apparently, her agent's) lack of knowledge about the testing rules regarding "random" time period tests, which led to what appear to be two versions of her account of the night in question. There's really no reason to question the veracity of either on the surface, with her only (reluctantly?) belatedly bringing up her anxiety issues when it was clear that the time of night the tester arrived wasn't the outright protocol violation that she first thought.

That said, the Alphabet practice of trying to throwing the *entire* book at a violation, even one that didn't include an actual failed test by a first-time offender (MV apparently passed one soon afterward), and going for a *four*-year ban is outright absurdity, especially when one considers the outrageously preferential treatment afforded the likes of Sinner (who failed *two* tests) and Swiatek -- when both were ranked #1 at the time, wink-wink -- regarding the announcing of the violations, the willingless to offer "solutions" and "work with" the players' representatives, and then the actual suspensions' lengths.

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Meanwhile, *someone* on the frontlines -- in this case, Ajla Tomljanovic -- actually said the quiet (but oh so obvious) part out loud. She should probably watch her back.


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Meanwhile, another entry in the "Queen of the Bees" nomination fight...



Elsewhere...




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Loading up on this one...



WI26 "PROP PICK" PREDICTIONS
1. Serena Williams will win at least one match in her return at age 44
...okay, this one feels a little too easy. She has 1r vs. Joint, then maybe Eala in the 2nd Round and possibly Swiatek in the 3rd.
2. DC Iga Swiatek will not reach the second week
...she'll face Townsend 1st Rd., then it would be Pliskova/Valentova, with possibly Serena/Eala after that.
3. Only one of the Top 3 seeds (Sabalena-Rybakina-Swiatek) will reach the QF
...recent years: 2016 (#1), 2017 (#2), 2018 (0), 2019 (0), 2021 (#1/#2), 2022 (#3), 2023 (#1/#2/#3), 2024 (0), 2025 (#1)
4. At least 2 Czechs will reach the QF
...the last time 2+ were in the last eight was 2021. 2025 was the first year since 2018 w/ none. Recent years: 2019 (2), 2021 (2), 2022 (1), 2023 (1), 2024 (1), 2025(0).
5. Two "flagless" women will reach the QF
...there were four last year, but just one each in 2023 and '24.
6. There will be at least one first-time major semifinalist
...there were none at SW19 the last two years
7. There will be three unseeded woman in the QF, at least one in the SF
...recent QF: 2022(4), 2023(2), 2024(2), 2025(3)
recent SF: 2022(1), 2023(2), 2024(1), 2025(1)
8. The two finalists will have a combined seed of 22+ (unseeded would be 33 alone)
...recent totals for finalists: 2022 (17+3 = 20), 2023 (unseeded + 6 = 39), 2024 (31 + 17 = 48), 2025 (8 + 13 = 21)
9. At least one finalist will come from the #8-20 seed range
10. At least one finalist will be a former major finalist, but have never reached a previous final at Wimbledon
...that list would include Andreescu, Andreeva, Chwalinska, Fernandez, Gauff, Kenin, Keys, Muchova, Osaka, Ostapenko, Pegula, Sabalenka, Stephens and Zheng
11. The winner will be a first-time Wimbledon finalist
12. Dark Horses (at least 4r/QF??): Chwalinska (hey, Paolini followed up *her* RG final with another at Wimbledon), Samsonova (the AELTC would be a fine place to finally turn the corner on her season), Krejickova (why not?), Navarro (playing like a second-weeker), Montgomery (vs. Paolini in the 1st Rd., is 9-0 this grass season)





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*CAREER WTA GRASS TITLES - active*
8 - Serena Williams, USA
6 - Venus Williams, USA
4 - MADISON KEYS, USA
3 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE

*2026 WTA TITLES WITHOUT LOSING A SET*
Brisbane - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Adelaide - Mirra Andreeva, RUS
Cluj-Napoca - Sorana Cirstea, ROU
Miami - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
Eastbourne - Madison Keys, USA
Bad Homburg - Karolina Muchova, CZE

*VENUS WILLIAMS LOWEST-RANKED LOSSES*
NR - Kim Clijsters (2009 U.S. Open 4th)
#674 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands (2019 San Jose 1st)
#313 - Coco Gauff (2019 Wimbledon 1st)
#223 - Peng Shuai (2016 Beijing 1st)
#211 - Irina-Camelia Begu (2026 Bad Homburg 1st)
#202 - Celine Naef (2023 Rosmalen 1st)
#161 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (2020 Roland Garros 1st)
#199 - Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (2020 Monterrey 1st)
#152 - Bianca Andreeescu (2019 Auckland QF)

*2026 OLDEST WTA FINALISTS*
[singles]
38 - TATJANA MARIA (Eastbourne)
35 - Sorana Cirstea (Cluj-Napoca)-W
32 - Jessie Pegula (Berlin)
32 - Jessie Pegula (Charleston)-W
[oldest WS final]
69 yrs - Eastbourne: Keys (31) d. Maria (38)
62 yrs - Dubai: Pegula (31) d. Svitolina (31)
[doubles/MX]
41 - VERA ZVONAREVA (Bad Homburg)-W
41 - Vera Zvonareva (Rabat)
41 - Vera Zvonareva (Dubai)
40 - Hsieh Su-wei (Doha)
40 - Hsieh Su-wei (Brisbane)-W
39 - Sara Errani (Berlin)
39 - Sara Errani (Roland Garros MX)-W
[WD duos]
73 - Linz: Cirstea/Zhang (36/37)-W
72 - Bad Homburg: SUTJIADI/ZVONAREVA (31/41)-W
72 - Rabat: Sutjiadi/Zvonareva (31/41)
71 - Berlin: Errani/Melichar-Martinez (39/32)
70 - Nottingham: Aoyama/Chan (38/32)

*WIMBLEDON #1 SEEDS SINCE 2010 (w/ result)*
2010 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2011 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (4th)
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS (4th)
2013 Serena Williams, USA (4th)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (3rd)
2015 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2016 Serena Williams, USA (W)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (4th)
2018 Simona Halep, ROU (3rd)
2019 Ash Barty, AUS (4th)
2021 Ash Barty, AUS (W)
2022 Iga Swiatek, POL (3rd)
2023 Iga Swiatek, POL (QF)
2024 Iga Swiatek, POL (3rd)
2025 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (SF)
2026 Aryna Sabalenka, BLR


*WI26 MAIN DRAW*
=most by nation (of 39 in original MD)=
18 - USA
10 - CZE
9 - GBR,RUS
6 - UKR
5 - AUS,GER
4 - ESP,FRA,POL,ROU
3 - AUT,CHN,CRO,ITA,SUI,UZB
2 - ARG,BEL,BLR,CAN,COL,GBR,HUN,JPN,KAZ,THA
1 - AND,BRA,DEN,GEO,GRE,INA,LAT,MKD,PHI,SLO,SRB,TUR
[age groups]*
10 - age 19 and under
92 - age 20-29
20 - age 30-34
6 - age 35+

*2026 SLAM MD DEBUTS*
=AUTOMATIC ENTRY MD=
AO - Petra Marcinko, CRO
AO - Oleksandra Oliynykova, UKR
RG - Lilli Tagger, AUT
RG - Hanne Vandewinkel, BEL
WI - Dasha Vidmanova, CZE

=WC=
AO - none
RG - Ksenia Efremova, FRA
RG - Alice Tubello, FRA
RG - Akasha Urhobo, USA
WI - Alicia Dudeney, GBR

=Q=
AO - Nikola Bartunkova, CZE
AO - Linda Klimovicova, POL
AO - Guiomar Maristany, ESP
AO - Himeno Sakatsume, JPN
AO - Lanlana Tararudee, THA
RG - Susan Bandecchi, SUI
RG - Guo Hanyu, CHN
RG - Sinja Kraus, AUT
RG - Elina Pridankina, RUS
RG - Kaitlin Quevedo, ESP
WI - Lina Gjorcheska, MKD
WI - Tyra Grant, ITA
WI - Teodora Kostovic, SRB

=PR=
AO - Mananchaya Sawangkaew, THA
RG - none
WI - none

*2020s GRAND SLAM DEBUTS*
2020: 21
2021: 15
2022: 26
2023: 21
2024: 22
2025: 26
2026: 23 - [AO 8, RG 10, WI 5]

*IN WOMEN'S SLAM SINGLES MD...*
[oldest]
=2022=
AO: Samantha Stosur, AUS (37)
RG: Kaia Kanepi, EST (36)
WI: Serena Williams, USA (40)
US: Venus Williams, USA (42)
=2023=
AO: Kaia Kanepi, EST (37)
RG: Kaia Kanepi, EST (37)
WI: Venus Williams, USA (43)
US: Venus Williams, USA (43)
=2024=
AO: Sara Errani, ITA (36)
RG: Sara Errani, ITA (37)
WI: Sara Errani, ITA (37)
US: Varvara Lepchenko, USA (38)
=2025=
AO: Tatjana Maria, GER (37)
RG: Tatjana Maria, GER (37)
WI: Tatjana Maria, GER (37)
US: Venus Williams, USA (45)
=2026=
AO: Venus Williams, USA (45)
RG: Tatjana Maria, GER (38)
WI: Serena Williams, USA (44)

[youngest]
=2022=
AO: Coco Gauff, USA (17)
RG: Linda Noskova, CZE (17)
WI: Coco Gauff, USA (18)
US: Sara Bejlek, CZE (16)
=2023=
AO: Brenda Fruhvirtova, CZE (15)
RG: Mirra Andreeva, RUS (16)
WI: Mirra Andreeva, RUS (16)
US: Mirra Andreeva, RUS (16)
=2024=
AO: Alina Korneeva, RUS (16)
RG: Mirra Andreeva, RUS (17)
WI: Mirra Andreeva, RUS (17)
US: Iva Jovic, USA (16)
=2025=
AO: Emerson Jones, AUS (16)
RG: Iva Jovic, USA (17)
WI: Hannah Klugman, GBR (16)
US: Julieta Pareja, USA (16)
=2026=
AO: Emerson Jones, AUS (17)
RG: Ksenia Efremova, FRA (17)
WI: Hannah Klugman, GBR (17)

*WIMBLEDON DEFENDING CHAMP RESULTS - OPEN ERA*
1968 Billie Jean King (RU)
1969 Ann Jones (retired)
1970 Margaret Court (RU)
1971 Evonne Goolagong (RU)
1972 Billie Jean King (W)
1973 Billi Jean King (QF)
1974 Chris Evert (SF)
1975 Billie Jean King (DNP-retired)
1976 Chris Evert (SF)
1977 Virginia Wade (SF)
1978 Martina Navratilova (W)
1979 Martina Navratilova (SF)
1980 Evonne Goolagong Cawley (DNP-pregnant)
1981 Chris Evert-Lloyd (RU)
1982 Martina Navratilova (W)
1983 Martina Navratilova (W)
1984 Martina Navratilova (W)
1985 Martina Navratilova (W)
1986 Martina Navratilova (W)
1987 Martina Navratilova (RU)
1988 Steffi Graf (W)
1989 Steffi Graf (SF)
1990 Martina Navratilova (QF)
1991 Steffi Graf (W)
1992 Steffi Graf (W)
1993 Steffi Graf (1st Rd.)
1994 Conchita Martinez (SF)
1995 Steffi Graf (W)
1996 Steffi Graf (DNP-injured)
1997 Martina Hingis (SF)
1998 Jana Novotna (QF)
1999 Lindsay Davenport (RU)
2000 Venus Williams (W)
2001 Venus Williams (RU)
2002 Serena Williams (W)
2003 Serena Williams (RU)
2004 Maria Sharapova (SF)
2005 Venus Williams (3rd Rd.)
2006 Amelie Mauresmo (4th Rd.)
2007 Venus Williams (W)
2008 Venus Williams (RU)
2009 Serena Williams (W)
2010 Serena Williams (4th Rd.)
2011 Petra Kvitova (QF)
2012 Serena Williams (4th Rd.)
2013 Marion Bartoli (DNP-retired)
2014 Petra Kvitova (3rd Rd.)
2015 Serena Williams (W)
2016 Serena Williams (DNP-pregnant)
2017 Garbine Muguruza (2nd Rd.)
2018 Angelique Kerber (2nd Rd.)
2019 Simona Halep ('20 no event; '21 DNP; '22 SF)
2021 Ash Barty (DNP-retired)
2022 Elena Rybakina (QF)
2023 Marketa Vondrousova (1st Rd.)
2024 Barbora Krejcikova (3rd Rd.)
2025 Iga Swiatek

*RECENT FIRST-TIME SLAM CHAMPS AND RESULT AT NEXT MAJOR*
2010 Francesca Schiavone (RG): Wimbledon 1st
2011 Li Na (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2011 Petra Kvitova (WI): U.S. 1st
2011 Samantha Stosur (US): Australian 1st
2012 Victoria Azarenka (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2013 Marion Bartoli (WI): DNP/retired
2015 Flavia Pennetta (US): DNP/retired
2016 Angelique Kerber (AO): Roland Garros 1st
2016 Garbine Muguruza (RG): Wimbledon 2nd
2017 Alona Ostapenko (RG): Wimbledon QF
2017 Sloane Stephens (US): Australian 1st
2018 Caroline Wozniacki (AO): Roland Garros 4th
2018 Simona Halep (RG): Wimbledon 3rd
2018 Naomi Osaka (US): Australian W
2019 Ash Barty (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2019 Bianca Andreescu (US): DNP 2020/2021 AO 2nd
2020 Sofia Kenin (AO): U.S. Open 5th
2020 Iga Swiatek (RG): Australian 4th
2021 Barbora Krejcikova (RG): Wimbledon 4th
2021 Emma Raducanu (US): Australian 2nd
2022 Elena Rybakina (WI): U.S. Open 1st
2023 Aryna Sabalenka (AO): Roland Garros SF
2023 Marketa Vondrousova (WI): U.S. Open QF
2023 Coco Gauff (US): Australian SF
2025 Madison Keys (AO): Roland Garros QF
2026 Mirra Andreeva (RG): ?

*WINNERS OF PRE-WIMB. GRASS EVENTS WIN WIMBLEDON THAT SEASON*
[since Novotna won both Eastbourne/Wimbledon in 1998]
1999 Halard-D./Zvereva/Brandi [Davenport]
2000 Raymond/Halard-D./Hingis [V.Williams]
2001 Tauziat/Davenport/Henin [V.Williams]
2002 Dokic/Rubin/Daniilidou [S.Williams]
2003 Mag.Maleeva/Rubin/Clijsters [S.Williams]
2004 Sharapova/Kuznetsova/Pierce [Sharapova] #
2005 Sharapova/Clijsters/Koukalova [V.Williams]
2006 Zvonareva/Henin-H./Krajicek [Mauresmo]
2007 Jankovic/Henin/Chakvetadze [V.Williams]
2008 K.Bondarenko/Radwanska/Tanasugarn [V.Williams]
2009 RybakikovaWozniacki/Tanasguarn [S.Williams]
2010 Li/Makarova/Henin [S.Williams]
2011 Lisicki/Bartoli/Vinci [Kvitova]
2012 Oudin/Paszek/Petrova [S.Williams]
2013 Hantuchova/Vesnina/Halep [Bartoli]
2014 Ivanovic/Keys/Vandeweghe [Kvitova]
2015 Konjuh/Giorgi/Kerber/Bencic [S.Williams]
2016 Pliskova/Vandeweghe/Keys/Garcia/Cibulova [S.Williams]
2017 Vekic/Konteveit/Kvitova/Sevastova/Pliskova [Muguruza]
2018 Barty/Krunic/Kvitova/Maria/Wozniacki [Kerber]
2019 Garcia/Riske/Barty/Kenin/Pliskova [Halep]
2021 Konta/Samsonova/Jabeur/Ostapenko/Kerber [Barty]
2022 Alexandrova/Haddad M./Jabeur/Haddad M./Kvitova/Garcia [Rybakina]
2023 Alexandrova/Boulter/Kvitova/Ostapenko/Keys/Siniakova [Vondrousova]
2024 Samsonova/Boulter/Pegula/Putintseva/Shnaider/Kasatkina [Krejcikova]
2025 Maria/Mertens/Vondrousova/Kessler/Pegula/Joint [Swiatek]
2026...Vekic/Montgomery/Noskova/Bouzkova/Muchova/Keys
--
# - Sharapova won Birmingham/Wimbledon in 2004
NOTE: 85 con. title winners didn't win Wimb. since Sharapova/Birm.'04
NOTE: Sharapova '04 is only to do it since Novotna/1998 (1 of 101 winners, through 2025)





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Such weird priorities.

[image or embed]

— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan.bsky.social) June 27, 2026 at 5:14 AM


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Imagine if the WTA had someone who could put together clips packages like this... (yeah, we know they'd still screw it up).






All for now.
Posted by at

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Wk.24- A Crushing They Will Go

A Czech... doing Czech things. And she wasn't alone.








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*WEEK 24 CHAMPIONS*
BERLIN, GERMANY (WTA 500; Grass Outdoor)
S: Linda Noskova/CZE def. Jessie Pegula/USA 6-4/4-6/6-3
WD: [to be played Monday]
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND (WTA 250; Grass Outdoor)
S: Marie Bouzkova/CZE def. Emma Navarro/USA 7-6(5)/4-6/6-2
WD: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden (GBR/GBR) def. Chan Hao-ching/Shuko Aoyama (TPE/JPN) 6-3/6-4
Brescia, Italy (WTA 125; Red Clay Outdoor)
S: Mayar Sherif/EGY def. Wang Xiyu/CHN 6-4/6-3
D: Dalila Jakupovic/Nika Radisic (SLO/SLO) def. Irina Bara/Naima Karamoko (ROU/SUI) 6-4/7-5
Figueira da Foz, Portugal (WTA 125; Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Dasha Vidmanova/CZE def. Ayla Aksu/TUR 6-2/6-3
D: Viktoria Hruncakova/Katarina Kuzmova (SVK/SVK) def. Elena Micic/Kristina Mladenovic (AUS/FRA) 6-4/6-4




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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Linda Noskova/CZE
...Noskova's big-hitting game has always had the look of *potentially* being something that could result in her taking a big leap up the WTA rankings.

The Czech has steadily climbed the ladder, cracking the Top 20 last fall. After her first slam QF in her Australian Open debut in '24, she reached her maiden 1000 final (Beijing) in '25, and she's already played in the SF on hard court in Indian Wells and the Madrid QF on clay earlier this year. She's spread out a dozen Top 10 wins over every season since 2023 while climbing as high as #12 in the rankings, often trading back and forth the CZE #1 spot with countrywoman Karolina Muchova.

But Noskova, no matter how close she's gotten to something big (example: see her matches vs. Swiatek), has always come up just short, with her 1-5 record in tour finals coming into the week being a prime example.

While huge matches and upsets were happening all around her this past week in Berlin, Noskova worked her way through the draw without dropping a set, reaching her first grass final with straight sets wins over Renata Zarazua, Diane Parry, Paula Badosa and Alex Eala. But with Jessie Pegula, off her takedown of #1 Aryna Sabalenka, waiting for her, it felt like it'd likely be another close-but-no-proverbial-cigar moment for the Czech.

But, this time, it wasn't.

Instead, it was Noskova who was the peerless presence between the lines, maintaining an extremently high level of play throughout the day. After Pegula took the 2nd set, Noskova ran out to a 3-0 lead in the 3rd, having gotten her break edge by coming back from 40/30 down to take game 2. The opportunity to let things slip away was there, though, but when servnig at 4-2 Noskova staved off a pair of BP that would have put the set back on serve. After not putting away a MP in the next game, the Czech served out the set at 6-3 to get the win.

Noskova is the third Czech in four years to lift the trophy, following Petra Kvitova ('23) and Marketa Vondrousova ('25).

Noskova's second career title ties a 2024 win in the Monterrey 500 as her biggest, but Berlin feels far more important. For one, her 13th career Top 10 win also catapults *her* into the Top 10 for the first time (naturally, at the expense of Muchova, who slips to #11).

Noskova began to make a move on grass a year ago, reaching the Bad Homburg SF, Nottingham QF and Wimbledon Round of 16. Could this result signal that she's the next Czech ready to challenge at a major? Stay tuned.



Noskova also reached the doubles SF alongside Ekaterina Alexandrova, but their match vs. Gleason/Eikeri was suspended on Saturday. They didn't complete the match on Sunday, and are (tentatively?) scheduled to finish things up on Monday (or simply see Alexandrova/Noskova officially retire), with the team of Errani/Melichar-Martinez awaiting whichever team compete in the final.
===============================================



RISERS: Marie Bouzkova/CZE and Jessie Pegula/USA
...a bit under the radar, Bouzkova is having a career year.

In Bogota in April, the Czech picked up her maiden clay court title. This week in Nottingham, Bouzkova played into her first tour final on grass (though she *is* a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, in 2022, so at least she'd already lived up to her Czech heritage there), knocking off the likes of teenagers Tereza Valentova and Hannah Klugman to start, then thirtysomethings Tatjana Maria and Viktorija Golubic to get into the title match. Once there, she saved a pair of SP in the 1st against Emma Navarro, taking a 7-5 TB, then went on to finish off the win in three sets.

The victory completes Bouzkova's career surface title set, gives her her first multi-title season, a third straight win in a WTA final (after going 1-6 from 2020-24), and jumps her up to a new career high ranking of #22.





A almost any given moment of 2026, Pegula has been the *second* (or third) best player on tour, but she's yet to truly assume the spotlight for her own purposes. Her runner-up finish in Berlin fit the pattern.

Pegula got off to an extra-hot start to this season, but was lost in the backwash of Elena Rybakina, going 0-3 against the AO winner. She reached consecutive QF on the Sunshine Swing, but twice fell vs. the Kazakh. She successfully defended her Charleston title to open the clay season, but couldn't quite rise to the top during the Madrid/Rome stretch, only coming as close as the SF in the latter (a loss to Iga Swiatek). Then she was stunned in the 1st Round at Roland Garros.

Pegula has a good recent history on the grass (though she's just 8-6 overall at Wimbledon, w/ one second week run in six appearances). She picked up titles in Berlin in '24 and Bad Homburg in '25, and this week looked well on her way to a third straight year with similar success. Pegula hit her way through the likes of Katerina Siniakova, Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka (her 31st career To 10 win, fifth in '26 and sixth vs. a world #1) to reach her 23rd career WTA title. A third grass title would have given her more on the surface this decade than any other woman.

But Linda Noskova outhit Pegula all day, especially on serve, to win in three sets and deny the Bannerette her second straight season with titles on all three surfaces (she was the only to do it in '25, and would have been the first and probably only in '26, unless Rybakina wins at SW19). She's still the only player (so far) to reach *finals* on all three surfaces this season.



The loss drops Pegula to 11-12 in career finals.
===============================================



SURPRISES: Nikola Bartunkova/CZE and Diane Parry/FRA
...add Bartunkova's name to the long list of Czechs who have shown an ability to perform on the grass.

The 20-year old had already produced in a string of tour events this season, including reaching the AO 3rd Round (as a qualifier), Ostrava QF and Rome 4th Round (as a LL). Before this spring, Bartunkova had never played a pro match on grass, but her game has quickly proven to be adept on the surface, reaching the Birmingham 125 final (losing a 7-5 3rd set vs. Eala) before dropping a 7-5 3rd set to Hanne Vandewinkel at Rosmalen.

In Berlin, the wild card Czech handled Diana Shnaider in three sets and Elise Mertens in straights before facing off with world #1 Aryna Sabalenka. Bartunkova pushed Sabalenka to the very edge of defeat, leading by a set and a double-break at 4-0 in the 2nd, twice serving for the match before seeing Sabalenka win a 2nd set TB and then tough out a final set victory with Bartunkova twice erasing break advantages in the set and then denying two MP opportunities before finally going out.



With her QF result, Bartunkova will crack the Top 50 for the first time with a ranking of #46 on Monday, having now officially earned "dangerous floater" status for Wimbledon.



At the start of May, Parry was in dire straits. Ranked #108, off to an 0-4 start in the clay season, and having gone 1-6 in her last seven (since knocking off Venus in Indian Wells, incidentally, to improve to 8-3 since her AO Q1 loss).

Then came Paris. First a 125 title run in the city -- courtesy of a QF walkover and retirement mid-way through the final, but whatever -- that led to a 1st Round win in Strasbourg over Emma Raducanu, followed by a Round of 16 run at Roland Garros (w/ an upset of #6 Amanda Anisimova), her best career result at a major, that only ended when Maja Chwalinska showed up.

In Berlin, the Pastry made it through qualifying (def. Seidel and Kalinina) and posted a 1st Round win over Clara Tauson (Parry's fifth vs. Top 40 foe since the start of last month, after not having had *any* since last year's Wimbledon). She lost in the 2nd Round to Linda Noskova, put Parry left Berlin on an 11-3 winning spurt over two surfaces and come Monday will set a new career-high ranking of #47.

The French #4 in early May, Parry is currently the national #1.

Parry lost in the final round of qualifying this weekend in Bad Homburg.
===============================================



VETERANS: Karolina Pliskova/CZE and Viktorija Golubic/SUI
...Pliskova's remarkably consistent return to the tour this season continued in Nottingham as the 34-year old Czech posted multiple wins for the seventh time in eight MD appearances in events this year.

Pliskova posted a trio of wins over Sara Bejlek, Caty McNally and Talia Gibson before losing to countrywoman Marie Bouzkova in the semifinals.

The result is the best of '26 for Pliskova, who has recorded three previous QF (Linz, Madrid and Queen's Club), a 4th Round (Rome) and two 3rd Rounds (AO, Doha).

19-9 on the season, Pliskova has only failed to record multiple wins in one (Cluj) of the seven events in which she's appeared in the MD this year. Having played in nine events, the lone tournament in which she didn't use her protected ranking nor receive a wild card and had to make her way through qualifying, was the Roland Garros Q-event. She fell in the second qualifying round.



Also in Nottingham, 33-year old Golubic made it through qualifying with victories over Veronika Erjavec and Sofia Kenin, then backed that up with a SF run with MD victories over Kenin (again), Zeynep Sonmez and Ann Li.

She lost there to Emma Navarro, but the result secured her first tour-level SF outside of Jiujiang ('24 W, '25 SF) since reaching the semis in Nottingham three years ago (she also reached the QF there in '24).


===============================================



COMEBACKS: Paula Badosa/ESP and Emma Navarro/USA
...even while enduring intermittant issues with her back that trace back nearly three years now (w/ a stress fracture of the spine at the '23 Italian Open), Badosa keeps coming back for more. When she's physically able, she's still a force, winning a Comeback Player of the Year award in '24, then reaching her maiden major SF (AO25) and returning to the Top 10 last year.

Still, the Spaniard came into the week ranked #142 and at just 9-13 on the year (including going oh-fer in Europe this spring, with an 0-4 record over the past two months).

In Berlin, with a wild card berth into the MD a year after reaching the tournament's QF (she retired due to her back), Badosa posted wins over Suzan Lamens and Coco Gauff to return to the quarters. The win over Gauff was her first Top 10 victory since *last* year in the same event.



Badosa lost in the QF to Linda Noskova, but *maybe* she'll be able to put in a good effort during the upcoming summer schedule. She's reached the Round of 16 at three of the last five Wimbledons, and the QF at the only U.S. Open she's been healthy enough to play since '22. That was in 2024, the same summer she reached the Cincinnati SF and won her last tour-level singles title (in Washington).

Meanwhile, Navarro isn't yet back to her previous level, but she's showing significant progress.

After winning a tour title (her first on clay) in Strasbourg ahead of Roland Garros, the Bannerette played into her first grass final in Nottingham with wins over Anna Bondar, Yuliia Starodubtseva (from 3-1 back in the 3rd), Jessica Bouzas Maneiro and Viktorija Golubic.

After dropping the 1st set in the final vs. Marie Bouzkova after having had a pair of SP at 6-5 (at 15/40, after Bouzkova took a MTO down love/30), then up (on-serve) at 5-4 in the ensuing TB before losing 7-5, Navarro forced a 3rd set only to come up short vs. the Czech.

The loss is Navarro's first in four appearances in WTA singles finals in her career.



Navarro has an encouraging history at SW19, reaching the QF in 2024, and the Round of 16 a year ago.
===============================================



FRESH FACES: Alex Eala/PHI and Talia Gibson/AUS
...heading into the season's third major, Eala will arrive in London as one of the in-form players in the draw, in which she'll be a *seeded* participant for the first time in her slam career due to her results this past week in Berlin as she reached her second SF of the season just two weeks after winning the grasscourt Birmingham 125 title (w/ a victory over Nikola Bartunkova in the final).

In Berlin, Eala took out Queen's Club champ Donna Vekic, former Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina (her second career win over a world #2), and two-time Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina. The latter two wins were the Filipina's third and fourth Top 10 victories this season (giving her six in the last sixteen months).



Eala ultimately fell a win short of what would have been her second career tour final (along w/ Eastbourne last year), losing to Linda Noskova in the semis.

Eala, 9-2 on the lawns this spring, jumps five spots to #30 (one off her career high from March).

Meanwhile, having just picked up her biggest career doubles win with a title on the grass at the Birmingham 125, Gibson finally began to turn around her singles fortunes in Nottingham.

The Aussie was a sudden star on the Sunshine Swing, during which her QF/4th Round turns in Indian Wells/Miami highlighted a 21-4 stretch for Gibson in February/March. But what came up also soon went down, as she came into this week on a 3-10 tumble with four straight losses. Ending the slide was no easy feat.

Gibson had to fight to get out of the 1st Round vs. Francesca Jones, who forced things to a 3rd set after dropping the 1st, then led 5-2 in the decider (w/ two MP) before Gibson rallied to force a TB. The Brit led 3-1 there before Gibson won six of the final seven points to get the win.

She then upset Zheng Qinwen in straights, converting on her fourth MP chance to win a 22-point tie-break.



Gibson fell in the QF to Karolina Pliskova, but (maybe) can finally see the light once again.
===============================================
ITF PLAYER: Francesca Curmi/MLT
...playing in her second final in her last three events, along with a $50K last month in Portoroz, Malta's Curmi grabbed her sixth and biggest career challenger crown in the $75K tournament in Blois, France.

The 23-year old Maltese player upset top seeded Lola Radivojevic early on, then took out Ipek Oz (SF) and Alevtina Ibragimova (6-3/7-5) in the final to get the win.

Curmi will climb from #334 to a new career high of #268.


===============================================



DOUBLES: Harriet Dart/Maia Lumsden, GBR/GBR
...a week after Olivia Nicholls became the first British winner of the women's doubles at Queen's Club, Dart & Lumsden combined to become the first home winners in Nottingham (while British woman have won the singles five times, including three times since 2021, none had won in WD in tournament history).

The wild card pair had quite the run, surviving a MTB in the 1st Round, then proceeding to knock off the #1 (Hunter/McNally), #3 (Sutjiadi/Tjen) and #2 (Aoyama/Chan Hao-ching in the final) seeds in successive matches to claim the crown.

It's the maiden tour title for both Brits, with Dart erasing her 0-4 career WTA mark (including two Nottingham losses in 2023-24) and Lumsden getting a win in her third final appearance at tour level.

As a pair, Dart/Lumsden have previously reached three 125 finals (going 1-2) in 2025-26, and were finalists in Birmingham two weeks ago.


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1. Berlin QF - Aryna Sabalenka def. Nikola Bartunkova
...2-6/7-6(2)/6-4. The art of averting oblivion (delayed).

One wonders how Sabalenka might have reacted if she'd followed up her epic collapse in the RG semis with a run-over loss vs. Bartunkova in her second grass match of the season. What *did* happen, though, was Sabalenka finding her way through the weeds and erasing a 6-2/4-0 deficit in which she twice deflected the Czech's attempt to serve out the match, winning a TB to force a 3rd.

Yeah, *that* wasn't easy, either. Sabalenka twice lost a break lead until finally going up 5-4, then missing on a pair of MP chances (one with a bad backhand error on a sitter shot off the net cord) before the third proved to be the charm.
============================================
2. Berlin SF - Jessie Pegula def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-4/6-7(4)/6-0. Of course, all that comeback win did was set Sabalenka up for another collapse, this time against a higher-ranked opponent.

After Pegula took the opening set, Sabalenka raced to but lost at 5-2 lead in the 2nd, failing to convert two SP at 5-3 and then falling behind 3-1 in the tie-break. After a rain delay, she returned to take the breaker 7-4 and head to a 3rd. Ship righted, eh?



Nope, Pegula out-hit, out-served, out-hustled and out-thought her en route to a love 3rd, adding another chapter to what has once again become far too many crash-out endings to matches for a world #1 who has been the dominant player on tour for going-on multiple seasons, except for when she's gotten in her own way.

It's Sabalenka's first love 3rd set loss since, well, yeah, her *last* tournament, against Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros. Not good. Sabalenka didn't show for her post-match press conference, either.


============================================



3. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Alex Eala def. Elena Rybakina
...7-5/6-4. Rybakina continues to post results more than a bit below what is expected of the world #2, as Eala avenges her loss to the Kazakh in the 3rd Round in Rome earlier this spring.

Eala trailed 4-1 in the 1st, then won 12 of the last 17 games vs. the '22 Wimbledon champ.

It's Eala's second win over a player ranked #2 (Iga, Miami '25). She'd add another Top 10 win (over Svitolina) a round later.


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4. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Paula Badosa def. Coco Gauff
...1-6/6-3/6-2. Yet again moving forward and trying to put her back issues in the past, Badosa once more shows what she's capable of when healthy. Remember, she's 4-0 in tour finals, winning Indian Wells in 2021, and a former major semifinalist (AO25) who came into this one with fifteen career Top 10 wins (7 vs. the Top 5), and who ranked as high as #2 in the world four years ago.

The Spaniard picked up Top 10 win #16 here, her first since this same tournament a year ago and her third overall vs. Gauff (w/ '23 Madrid and '25 AO).


============================================
5. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Talia Gibson def. Francesca Jones 6-3/5-7/7-6(4)
Nottingham 1st Rd. - Yuliia Starodubtseva def. Maya Joint 6-7(8)/7-5/6-4
...AUS #2 Gibson picks up nine ranking spots on (still) AUS #1 Joint in Nottingham, pulling out of her four-match losing streak by saving a pair of MP in the 1st Round.

Gibson battled Jones for three hours (the Brit, per usual, had an MTO break during the proceedings), losing her match lead after the 1st and having to rally from 5-2 down in the 3rd, saving a pair of MP at 5-3, before getting the saving break of serve on her fourth BP chance. In the deciding TB, Gibson dug out of an early 3-1 hole to win 7-4 and re-set her course.

While Gibson's season has experienced wild swings on the success meter, Joint's has pretty much been pointed in a negative direction from the start.

A year after a breakout campaign, during which she won two tour titles and (in early '26) cracked the Top 30, the 20-year old has posted multiple wins in just one event (in Week 2 in Adelaide, when Ajla Tomljanovic retired after just two games in a 2nd Round match).

Joint managed a win over Katarzyna Kawa in a clay court 125 two weeks ago, right before the Pole's 125 title run a week later, but her '26 grass debut saw her lose a 4-1 opening set lead. She denied Starodubtseva when she served for the set at 5-4, then overcame a 5-3 TB deficit to hold a pair of SP, saved a SP (at 8-7), and finally won 10-8. Joint served for the match in the 2nd set, but dropped the final four games as things went to a 3rd.

Starodubtseva took the decider 6-4, ending a 3:21 affair that dropped Joint to 3-14 on the season. The Aussie put up 62 and 54 overall wins the last two seasons at all levels, but it'll take a monumental back-half for her to even rack up *half* those totals in '26.

Joint stands at #53, while countrywoman Gibson is now officially looking over her shoulder at #57.
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6. Nottingham 2nd Rd. - Emma Navarro def. Yuliia Starodubtseva
...6-4/6-7(3)/6-4. After toughing out a 1st Round win, this was quite a different experience for Starodubtseva (who'd only recently upset Elena Rybakina at Roland Garros). Here the Ukrainian consistently raced ahead on the scoreboard, only to see Navarro reel her back in time and time again.

Starodubtseva led 5-0 in the 2nd, and *four* times failed to serve out the set (holding 3 SP) before being taken to a TB. Again, she went out to a 5-0 lead, this time closing out the breaker at 7-3.

Starodubtseva led 3-1 in the 3rd, but Navarro surged back to take five of the last six games to advance.
============================================
7. Berlin 1st Rd. - Nikola Bartunkova def. Diana Shnaider
...6-2/6-7(2)/6-3. Bartunkova shows an ability to take down bigger names on a *third* surface in '26, knocking off Shnaider in the Hordette's first outing since her semifinal at Roland Garros.

Shnaider led 3-0 in the 2nd, but saved a pair of Bartunkova MP at 5-4 when the Czech served for the win. Shnaider then staged a comeback from 0-2 in the TB with seven straight points to force a 3rd set.

Shnaider led the decider 3-0 before Bartunkova swept the final six games.


============================================



8. Berlin Final Linda Noskova def. Jessie Pegula
...6-4/4-6/6-3. Noskova becomes the 12th different Czech to crack the Top 10, and avoids falling to 1-7 (eek!) in career tour-level singles finals with her first tour win since 2024. She was 0-3 in title matches in '25.

This was Noskova's first WTA final on any surface other than hard courts.


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9. Nottingham Final - Marie Bouzkova def. Emma Navarro
...7-6(5)/4-6/6-2. Bouzkova completes her career surface title collection with her maiden win on the grass, outlasting Navarro, who would have completed *her* trio of titles on different surfaces had she managed to take the 3rd set.


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10. Berlin 2nd Rd. - Madison Keys def. Karolina Muchova
...6-4/7-5. Any time a Czech plays on grass, an eyebrow naturally raises and attention is warranted. That used be the case with Muchova, but not so much anymore

While she'd seem to have a game well-suited to grass success, which she found with QF runs in her first two appearances at Wimbledon in 2019 and '21, Muchova have been a non-factor on the surface ever since.

She's failed to win a single match the last four years at SW19 (granted, some of those times she came in nursing an injury, or barely back from one), and since winning four matches en route to the last eight five years ago in London, Muchova has gone a combined 4-7 on grass from 2022-26.

Meanwhile, with Noskova's title run, Muchova slips from out of the Top 10 to #11, replaced by her countrywoman.
============================================
11. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Hannah Klugman def. Harriet Dart
...6-2/6-4. 17-year old Klugman, last year's RG junior champ and recent girls' #1, loses in Nottingham qualifying to Zeynep Sonmez, but gets a reprieve with a lucky loser berth and posts her maiden career tour-level win over fellow Brit Harriet Dart.



Klugman lost in the 2nd Round to Marie Bouzkova.

In about a week, she'll play in the second straight Wimbledon women's MD via a wild card entry.
============================================
12. Nottingham Q2 - Viktorija Golubic def. Sofia Kenin 6-3/6-4
Nottingham 1st Rd. - Viktorija Golubic def. Sofia Kenin 6-2/4-6/6-3
...dontcha hate when that happens? I mean, if you're Sofia Kenin.
============================================



13. Berlin 1st Rd. - Elise Mertens def. Liudmila Samsonova
...1-6/6-3/6-0. Samsonova seems *close* to finally reaching her "turning point" moment in the '26 season, but she's not quite there yet. After a dominant 1st set vs. Mertens, the Hordette won just three games in the final two sets, falling in her second straight-set loss this grass season.

She drops to 7-15 on the year, her worst stretch to open a year in a series of bad starts that now goes back to 2022.

Samsonova has gone *later* into a season (a title run in Washington in '22) in this now five-year span before turning things around, gettting hot and finishing above .500 and in the Top 30, though. She'll drop outside the Top 40 on Monday.

The clock is ticking.

UPDATE: Samsonova got a win over Katerina Siniakova in early 1st Round play in Bad Homburg on Sunday. Is the corner about to be turned?


============================================
14. Brescia 125 Final - Mayar Sherif def. Wang Xiyu
...6-4/6-3. Sherif adds to her all-time leading total of career 125 titles, picking up singles win #9. The Egyptian veteran has nearly doubled the titles won by players (Golubic, Parks - 5) who come in tied for second on the all-time 125 list.
============================================



15. Figueira da Foz 125 Final - Dasha Vidmanova def. Ayla Aksu
...6-2/6-3. 23-year old Vidmanova, a former "triple crown" winner at the NCAA Championship level (WS, WD and Team champion in her career) for Georgia, continued the great week for the Czechs, picking up her biggest career title in Portugal.

A week after reaching the SF on the grass at Ilkley, Vidmanova moved over to hard courts for this one. She'll crack the Top 100 for the first time on Monday.


============================================
HM- $15K Kursumlijska Banja SRB Final - Amelie Justine Hejtmanek def. Marianna Argyrokastriti
...6-1/6-4. Another week, another (well, fourth) Crusher champion.

This time it comes on the ITF level, as 18-year old Hejtmanek picks up her maiden pro title.


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1. Nottingham 1st Rd. - Karolina Pliskova def. Sara Bejlek
...2-6/7-6(3)/6-2. #11-seeded Bejlek took over the top slot in the draw when #1 Iva Jovic withdrew, meaning she faced off with countrywoman Pliskova, in the midst of a successful comeback season in which she's won *at least* one match in all but one event (and that was back in February).

Here, Pliskova dropped the 1st set, but gradually seized control, taking a 2nd set TB and then overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd to sweep the final six games.


============================================



2. Berlin 1st Rd. - Giuliana Olmos/Erin Routliffe def. Karolina Muchova/Serena Williams
...6-4/6-4. It was only a cameo appearance for Serena in Berlin, but much more appears to be coming very soon.



It just allowed Serena to get to the AELTC a little earlier than anticipated. And, you know, get in some additional *singles* practice.


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The grass season (thanks to the AELTC) isn't exactly the time for unique fashion, but this is a nice complimentary color scheme for the lawns...




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What the heck is this even supposed to be? It makes absolutely no sense at all, with no criteria in regards to tennis, soccer or any other sport.



If they wanted to wait until later on, when there were fewer nations involved in a bracket and assign tennis players to each nation in the mix, at least there'd be *something* to it.

At this moment, I'd say, stick to tennis.
















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*2020s MULT. WTA TITLES BY NATION IN WTA WEEK*
2020 --
2021 Wk.7 (ESP) - Muguruza/DUBAI, Sorribes Tormo/GUAD
2022 Wk.32 (RUS) - Kasatkina/SAN JOSE, Samsonova/WASH
2022 Wk.35 (RUS) - Kasatkina/GRANBY, Samsonova/CLEV
2022 Wk.38 (RUS) - Alexandrova/SEOUL, Samsonova/TOKYO
2023 --
2024 Wk.21 (USA) - Stearns/RABAT, Keys/STRASBOURG
2024 Wk.26 (RUS) - Kasatkina/EAST, Shnaider/BAD HOMBURG
2025 Wk.2 (USA) - Kessler/HOBART, Keys/ADELAIDE
2025 Wk.9 (USA) - Navarro/MERIDA, Pegula/AUSTIN
2026 Wk.24 (CZE) - Bouzkova/NOTT, Noskova/BERLIN

*RECENT WTA TOP 10 SINGLES DEBUTS*
[2024]
Zheng Qinwen/CHN
Jasmine Paolini/ITA
Emma Navarro/USA
[2025]
Mirra Andreeva/RUS
Amanda Anisimova/USA
Ekaterina Alexandrova/RUS
[2026]
Victoria Mboko/CAN
Linda Noskova/CZE

*WTA TITLES ON HARD/CLAY/GRASS (active)*
[# - w/ diff. clay wins: red/green/blue]
Belinda Bencic, SUI (g)
MARIE BOUZKOVA, CZE (r)
Ons Jabeur, TUN (r/g) #
Dasha Kasatkina, AUS (g)
Madison Keys, USA (g/r) #
Barbora Krejcikova, CZE (r)
Elise Mertens, BEL (r)
Alona Ostapenko, LAT (r)
Jessie Pegula, USA (g)
Karolina Pliskova, CZE (r)
Elena Rybakina, KAZ (r)
Diana Shnaider, RUS (r)
Katerina Siniakova, CZE (r)
Iga Swiatek, POL (r)
Serena Williams, USA (r/g/b) #
Venus Williams, USA (r/g) #
Vera Zvonareva, RUS (r)
--
ALSO: Lisicki/GER (g), Wozniacki/DEN (r/g)

*2026 - TOP 10 WINS (w/ #1 wins)*
7 - Kostyuk, Rybakina(1), Svitolina
5 - Mboko, Muchova, Pegula(1), Sabalenka
4 - Eala
3 - Baptiste(1), Bencic
[on grass]
2-Eala
1-Badosa, Boulter, Jovic, Noskova, Pegula(1), Pliskova
[on multiple surfaces - 11 on two]
Baptiste (hard/clay)
Eala (hard/grass)
Jovic (hard/grass)
Keys (clay/grass)
Kostyuk (hard/clay)
Muchova (hard/clay)
Noskova (clay/grass)
Pegula (hard/grass)
Pliskova (hard/grass)
Rybakina (hard/clay)
Svitolina (hard/clay)

*LAST FIVE #1 WINS*
2026 AO Final - #5 Rybakina/KAZ def. Sabalenka
2026 MAD QF - #32 Baptiste/USA def. Sabalenka
2026 ROM 3r - #27 Cirstea/ROU def. Sabalenka
2026 RG QF - #23 Shnaider/RUS def. Sabalenka
2026 BERLIN SF - #4 Pegula/USA def. Sabalenka

*CAREER WTA #1 WINS active*
17 - Serena Williams, USA
15 - Venus Williams, USA
9 - Elena Rybakina, KAZ
7 - Elina Svitolina, UKR
6 - Jessie Pegula, USA
5 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
4 - Belinda Bencic, SUI
4 - Coco Gauff, USA
4 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
[U.S. women #1 wins since 2020]
6 - Jessie Pegula
4 - Coco Gauff
2 - Madison Keys
1 - Amanda Anisimova
1 - Hailey Baptiste
1 - Jennifer Brady
1 - Danielle Collins
1 - Sofia Kenin
1 - Shelby Rogers
[U.S. women career #1 wins - active]
17 - Serena Williams
15 - Venus Williams
6 - Jessie Pegula
4 - Coco Gauff
3 - Sofia Kenin
2 - Madison Keys

*MOST WTA TITLES - CZE (active)*
17 - Karolina Pliskova (2013-20)
8 - Barbora Krejcikova (2021-24)
5 - Katerina Siniakova (2017-22)
4 - MARIE BOUZKOVA (2022-26)
3 - Marketa Vondrousova (2017-25)
2 - Karolina Muchova (2019-26)
2 - LINDA NOSKOVA (2024-26)
1 - Sara Bejlek (2026)
1 - Linda Fruhvirtova (2022)
[career-high ranks - TCH/CZE]
#1 - Karolina Pliskova *
#2 - Jana Novotna
#2 - Petra Kvitova
#2 - Barbora Krejcikova *
#3 - Martina Navratilova [1975; #1 as USA]
#3 - Hana Mandlikova
#4 - Helena Sukova
#5 - Lucie Safarova
#6 - Marketa Vondrousova *
#7 - Nicole Vaidisova
#8 - Karolina Muchova *
#10 - Linda Noskova *

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA CHAMPIONS BY COUNTRY*
4 = CZE - Bejlek,Bouzkova,Muchova,NOSKOVA
4 = USA - Montgomery,Navarro,Pegula,Stearns
2 = CRO - Marcinko,Vekic
2 = UKR - Kostyuk,Svitolina
--
[1-BLR,ESP,GBR,ITA,KAZ,ROU,RUS]

*MOST WTA FINALS in 2026*
4 - Aryna Sabalenka (3-1)
4 - Mirra Andreeva (3-1)
3 - Marta Kostyuk (2-1)
3 - JESSIE PEGULA (2-1)
3 - Elena Rybakina (2-1)
3 - Elina Svitolina (2-1)
3 - Victoria Mboko (0-3)
2 - MARIE BOUZKOVA (2-0)
2 - Karolina Muchova (1-1)
2 - EMMA NAVARRO (1-1)
2 - Coco Gauff (0-2)
2 - Emma Raducanu (0-2)

*2026 WTA FINALS, MOST SURFACES*
3 - PEGULA = Hard,Green Clay,Grass
2 - M.Andreeva = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Rybakina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Muchova = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Kostyuk = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Gauff = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Svitolina = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Mboko = Hard,Red Clay
2 - Raducanu = Hard,Grass
2 - NAVARRO = Red Clay,Grass
2 - BOUZKOVA = Red Clay,Grass

*2026 MULT.DIFFERENT WTA FINALISTS BY COUNTRY*
6 - USA
...Gauff,Montgomery,Navarro,Pegula,Stearns,Townsend
5 - CZE
...Bejlek,Bouzkova,Krejcikova,Muchova,Noskova
5 - UKR
...Kalinina,Kostyuk,Podrez,Starodubtseva,Svitolina
2 - CRO
...Marcinko,Vekic
2 - GBR
...Boulter,Raducanu
2 - POL
...Chwalinska,Frech
2 - RUS
...Alexandrova,M.Andreeva
--
1 - AUT,BLR,CAN,CHN,ESP,GER,HUN,ITA,KAZ,ROU

*MOST WTA SF in 2026*
6 - Elina Svitolina (3-3)
5 - Mirra Andreeva (4-1)
5 - ARYNA SABALENKA (4-1)
5 - JESSIE PEGULA (3-2)
4 - Marta Kostyuk (3-1)
4 - Elena Rybakina (3-1)
4 - Karolina Muchova (2-2)
4 - Iva Jovic (1-3)

*2026 FIRST-TIME WTA WD CHAMPIONS*
Rouen - Jesika Maleckova, CZE (31)
Rabat - Eudice Chong, HKG (30)
Rosmalen - Liang En-Shou, TPE (25)
Nottingham - HARRIET DART, GBR (29)
Nottingham - MAIA LUMSDEN, GBR (28)

*ALL-TIME WTA 125 SINGLES TITLES*
9 - Mayar Sherif, EGY
5 - Viktorija Golubic, SUI
5 - Alycia Parks, USA
4 - Irina-Camelia Begu, ROU
4 - Sรกra Bejlek, CZE
4 - Elisabetta Cocciaretto, ITA
4 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
4 - Nuria Pรกrrizas Dรญaz, ESP
4 - Anca Todoni, ROU






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Custom made tarps just so the tangerine baby doesn't have a tantrum that his name has been taken off a building (which shouldn't have been there in the first place)?

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 3:23 PM


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Trump announces a Fourth of July "Trump Rally" anntelnaes.substack.com/p/trump-anno...

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— Ann Telnaes (@anntelnaes.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 9:26 PM

Old enough to remember when the people defending a UFC fighter for making a 'joke' about Michelle Obama at the WH wanted Jimmy Kimmel, a comedian, to be fired for making a joke about melania on his show.

— Covie (@covie93.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 10:51 PM


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Racism, transphobia, misogyny, homophobia, ableism. Trump gave MAGA permission to proudly and loudly show all of their hatred and ignorance. This wave of vileness has spread like a plague across this country. We must put an end to all of it. Decency and empathy will prevail.

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— Christian Petersen (@iwantyoustudio.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 4:22 PM


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Breaking News: the algae has agreed to accept $300 billion to consider vacating the reflecting pool

— Tobias Wilson-Bates (@phdhurtbrain.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 7:17 PM

Make Algae Great Again

— Jouni Marttila (@joumartti.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 5:14 AM





All for now.
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