Well, I don't *actually* fish, buy you get the idea.
=MIDDLE SUNDAY NOTES=
...just a few Sunday afternoon ITF tip-ins on Wimbledon's off day.
The winner of the biggest challenger event of the week was Ukraine's Kateryna Kozlova, who won the $60K clay court event in Rome, defeating Colombian Mariana Duque 7-6(6)/6-4 to claim her first singles title since 2014.
Elsewhere, Naomi Osaka's older sister, 21-year old Mari, reached her second 2017 challenger singles final. She's still looking for her first career title, though. Sunday in Denain, France, she fell in a 3rd set tie-break (arrrrgh!) to Macedonia's Lina Gjorcheska, 6-2/5-7/7-6(6).
Also, Arantxa Rus won the $25K Middelburg, NED crown, defeating Greece's Valentini Grammatikopoulou, while 21-year old Eudice Chong (Texas Wesleyan) defeated Zhang Ling to claim her first pro title in the all-Hong Kong final in the $25K Anning, China event.
Vera Zvonareva wins 1st ITF title in 15 years at 15K Sharm El Sheikh beating Tereza Mihalikova 16 76 75 in 3h. She has earned WTA ranking! pic.twitter.com/jzXubJSbMk
— WTA Scores (@Scores_WTA) July 9, 2017
But, of course, the big news is that Vera Zvonareva claimed her first singles title of any kind since 2011 (her last ITF title came in 2002), winning a 2:58 clash with Tereza Mihalikova in the $15K Sharm El Sheikh final, winning 1-6/7-6(4)/7-5. Three events into her comeback, the Russian will climb into the Top 800.
In just under 3 hours, Vera Zvonareva takes the title at 15K Sharm El Sheikh over Tereza Mihalikova 1-6 7-6(4) 7-5. pic.twitter.com/ySku54ZCDN
— Graham (@juki_tennis) July 9, 2017
A PRELUDE TO MORE? ON THE MIDDLE SUNDAY:
Claire Liu, Roehampton champ! ?????????? pic.twitter.com/bhChCPG34U
— USTA Player Dev. (@USTA_PD) July 7, 2017
SIMONA'S NEXT OPPONENT ON THE MIDDLE SUNDAY:
THE GRASS ON THE MIDDLE SUNDAY:
On Middle Sunday, the grass rests...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/yIO47OgzNY
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 9, 2017
...and, finally, the Latvian gets the slo-mo treatment...
Jelena Ostapenko perfecting her serve ?? ?? #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/xAQFu8KjKt
— WTA (@WTA) July 9, 2017
=LADIES' SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Angelique Kerber/GER vs. #14 Garbine Muguruza/ESP
#9 Aga Radwanska/POL vs. #7 Svetlana Kuznetsova/RUS
Magdalena Rybarikova/SVK vs. (Q) Petra Martic/CRO
#24 CoCo Vandeweghe/USA vs. #5 Caroline Wozniacki/DEN
#27 Ana Konjuh/CRO vs. #10 Venus Williams/USA
#13 Jelena Ostapenko/LAT vs. #7 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#6 Johanna Konta/GBR vs. #21 Caroline Garcia/FRA
Victoria Azarenka/BLR vs. #2 Simona Halep/ROU
=LADIES' DOUBLES ROUND OF 16=
L.Kichenok/Tsurenko (UKR/UKR) v. Bellis/Vondrousova (USA/CZE)
#9 H.Chan/Niculescu (TPE/ROU) vs. Haddad Maia/Konjuh (BRA/CRO)
#4 Babos/Hlavackova (HUN/CZE) vs. Kuznetsova/Mladenovic (RUS/FRA)
Ninomiya/Voracova (JPN/CZE) vs. #5 Hradecka/Siniakova (CZE/CZE)
#7 Goerges/Strycova (GER/CZE) vs. #12 Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE)
#13 Flipkens/Mirza (BEL/IND) vs. #3 Y.Chan/Hingis (TPE/SUI)
#8 Barty/Dellacqua (AUS/AUS) vs. Mertens/Schuurs (BEL/NED)
#15 Klepac/Martinez-Sanchez (SLO/ESP) vs. #2 Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS)
*2017 ITF TITLES*
5 - Polina Monova, RUS
4 - Dejana Radanovic, SRB
4 - Magdalena Rybarikova, SVK
4 - Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor, ESP
3 - Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
3 - Cristina Dinu, ROU
3 - Gao Xinyu, CHN
3 - Jeong Su-nam, KOR
3 - Anhelina Kalinina, UKR
3 - Despina Papamichail, GRE
3 - Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP
3 - Sarah-Rebecca Sekulic, GER
3 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE
*2017 ITF TITLES - RUSSIANS*
5 - Polina Monova
2 - Ekaterina Alexandrova
1 - Olga Doroshina
1 - Varvara Flink
1 - Valentyna Ivakhnenko
1 - Irina Khromacheva
1 - Daria Kruzhkova
1 - Ksenia Lykina
1 - Marta Paigina
1 - Aleksandra Pospelova
1 - Anastasia Potapova
1 - Valeria Savinykh
1 - Margarita Skryabina
1 - Sofya Zhuk
1 - Vera Zvonareva
*2017 RANKING WEEKS IN TOP 10 - as of July 10*
28...Angelique Kerber, GER)*
28...Simona Halep, ROU*
28...Karolina Pliskova, CZE*
28...Serena Williams, USA*
28...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK*
28...Svetlana Kuznetsova. RUS*
28...Aga Radwanska, POL*
23...Johanna Konta, GBR*
23...Garbine Muguruza, ESP
17...Madison Keys, USA
14...Elina Svitolina, UKR*
6...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN*
1...Venus Williams, USA
-
*-current Top 10
*2017 RANKING WEEKS IN TOP 20 - as of July 10*
28...Angelique Kerber, GER *
28...Simona Halep, ROU*
28...Karolina Pliskova, CZE*
28...Serena Williams, USA*
28...Elina Svitolina, UKR*
28...Dominika Cibulkova, SVK*
28...Johanna Konta, GBR*
28...Caroline Wozniacki, DEN*
28...Svetlana Kuznetsova, RUS*
28...Aga Radwanska, POL*
28...Venus Williams, USA*
28...Madison Keys, USA*
28...Garbine Muguruza, ESP*
28...Elena Vesnina, RUS*
28...Petra Kvitova, CZE*
20...Barbora Strycova, CZE
18...Timea Bacsinszky, SUI*
17...Kristina Mladenovic, FRA*
17...Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS*
11...Victoria Azarenka, BLR
11...Kiki Bertens, NED
11...Samantha Stosur, AUS
9...Anastasija Sevastova, LAT*
8...Carla Suarez-Navarro, ESP
8...CoCo Vandeweghe, USA
5...Jelena Ostapenko, LAT*
4...Roberta Vinci, ITA
1...Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, CRO
-
*-current Top 20
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #6 Johanna Konta/GBR
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): x
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: Petra Martic/CRO def. #1q Aleksandra Krunic/SRB 3-6/7-6/7-5
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #6 Johanna Konta/GBR def. Donna Vekic/CRO 7-6(4)/4-6/10-8 (3:10; nearly 100 total winners)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): x
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): x
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Wang Qiang/CHN (def. K.Chang/TPE)
FIRST SEED OUT: #31 Roberta Vinci/ITA (1st Rd. - lost to Kr.Pliskova/CZE)
UPSET QUEENS: USA
REVELATION LADIES: GBR (two women -- Konta & Watson -- in 3rd Rd. for first time since '86; WC Boulter played well vs. McHale)
NATION OF POOR SOULS: CZE (0-6 2nd Rd., including"co-favorites" Kvitova & Ka.Pliskova w/ two other seeds; first time no Czechs in Wimb. 3r since '09, second time since '04)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Petra Martic/CRO (in 4th Rd.)
LAST WILD CARDS STANDING: Heather Watson/GBR and Zarina Diyas/KAZ (3rd Rd.)
LAST BRIT STANDING: Johanna Konta (in 4th Rd.)
IT ("??"): Nominee: Konjuh ("Teen")
Ms.OPPORTUNITY: Early Nominees: Rybarikova, Martic
COMEBACK: Victoria Azarenka/BLR
CRASH & BURN: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS (1st Rd. loss to Ar.Rodionova after having 7 MP, one year after Wimb. QF and "Career QF Slam" completed at this year's AO; won two titles '17)
ZOMBIE QUEEN (TBD at QF): Nominees: Ar.Rodionova (1st Rd. - saved 7 MP vs. Pavlyuchenkova; won 9-7 3rd; lost 2nd Rd.); A.Radwanska (2nd Rd. - saved 2 MP vs. McHale); Kerber (3rd Rd. - down set and 4-2, two points from 5-2, vs. Rogers; loses #1 ranking w/ loss); Barty/Dellacqua (2nd Rd. - saved MP vs. Chuang/Doi, won 10-8 3rd); Wozniacki (3rd Rd. - down 6-4/5-3 vs. Kontaveit, served for match twice)
DOUBLES STAR: x
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): Nominees: V.Williams, Kuznetsova
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: x
THE RADWANSKA DAY REMEMBRANCE AWARD
June 26 official: Eastbourne DC Dominika Cibulkova loses opening match to WC Heather Watson; 4 LL's win MD matches (one LL vs. LL match-up); LL Tsvetana Pironkova advances to 2nd Rd. w/ 1st Rd. bye when Petra Kvitova withdraws, gets 2nd Rd. win
Day 3 observed: On "Flying Ant Day," newly-emerged insects swarm the AELTC grounds. Meanwhile, six women's seed fall, including two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
"Alternate" Rad Day (Day 4): In muggy conditions, four women's seeds (and four men's) fall, including "favorite" #3 Karolina Pliskova, as no Czech woman reach the 3rd Round for the first time in eight years. Bethanie Mattek-Sands suffers a devastating knee injury. Aga Radwanska saves two MP vs. Christina McHale to advance.
All for the middle Sunday. More tomorrow.
