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Sunday, October 8, 2017

Wk.40- An Accumulation of Experiences

It's often been said that a picture says a thousand words...



Well, how about *two* pictures?



Fighting against what might have been seen by some as early-season opportunities to free fall through what remained of their 2017 seasons, neither Simona Halep nor Caroline Garcia chose a personal route that included them backing down on any level. Instead, they've continued to learn to fly. Both managed to run down a dream in Beijing.


In the end, in victory and defeat, they both turned out to be winners for the week.





*WEEK 40 CHAMPIONS*
BEIJING, CHINA (Premier Mandatory/Hard)
S: Caroline Garcia/FRA def. Simona Halep/ROU 6-4/7-6(3)
D: Chan Yung-Jan/Martina Hingis (TPE/SUI) d. Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova (HUN/CZE) 6-1/6-4


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Caroline Garcia/FRA
...where, oh where, has this Garcia been hiding? Well, who cares, really. She's here now, and that's what matters.



Of course, a case can be made that it's been Garcia's accumulation of experiences, from the early praise to her renowned cases of nerves and honest doubts about her own ability to handle pressure, to her Fed Cup awakening (thanks, Amelie), doubles success, belated singles breakthroughs and the decision to focus her efforts on reaching her full potential there, as well as her handling of the public back-stabbing antics of her former doubles partner and FC teammate and the national fire that it lit, may be the reason that the soon to be 24-year old (October 16) has emerged as *the* form player is Asia in the 4th Quarter of the '17 season. Through it all, she's not only learned how to focus, but also who to trust, who to shrug off, and who has her best interests at heart. It's surely seemed to evolve into something of a clarifying moment for the young Pastry, and her reward has been a career-defining and changing stint on the other side of the world.

Even better, Garcia's success in itself has been the public answer to all the mudslinging and personal insults hurled in her direction earlier this year. And while she's been rising like a rocket, her earlier antagonist can now be seen in her rear view mirror.



In pulling off the WTA's first Wuhan/Beijing title sweep in singles, Garcia has flown into the Top 10, becoming the first French woman to debut there since Marion Bartoli in 2007. Last week she extended her current winning streak to a career-best eleven matches by adding victories over Elise Mertens, Alize Cornet, Elina Svitolina (in a back-and-forth match that highlighted Caro's hardened nerves and Latvian Thunder-like embrace of gutsy, risky shotmaking making that dares herself to play at her very best, and her opponent to match her level, if they're able), Petra Kvitova and, in the final, on-deck-#1 Simona Halep. Her run pushes her past her former doubles partner, and former #1-ranked Pastry, and (currently) into the field of eight for the WTA Finals, edging out Johanna Konta, who'll have to perform a stark turnaround from her lacking recent form to snatch back the spot over the next two weeks. It's not likely.

Over two weeks in China, Garcia has put up three Top 10 wins, including two Top 5 victories in Beijing over #2 Halep (now #1) and #3 Svitolina, denying the latter a shot at #1 and dealing the former a final defeat before assuming the top spot. Garcia will be the new #9 on Monday, a meteoric rise that began with her Top 20 debut just two months ago. Surely, it's a run that backs up her "I don't need to prove anything to anyone" notion, and also one that simply begs for some dishes of crow to be served. As noted here earlier, Cornet has done much to soften her role in the "LOL incident" that occurred during Fed Cup season. Alize, as she did a week ago, tweeted congrats (after also acting as a stepping stone to the title for Garcia in Beijing) after Caro's win, as did French Fed Cupper Amandine Hesse (though she wasn't part of the LOL crown). Meanwhile, LOLer Pauline Parmentier retweeted a post commending Garcia's accomplishment.

Only you-know-who has remained publicly silent on social media, though she had no problem wielding it as a weapon to personally attack Garcia's veracity, patriotism, trustworthiness and personal character just a few months ago. Not that the loud silence is much of a surprise. If it was someone else, the notion that a private reconciliation might have occurred would be in play, but it's difficult to believe that to be on the table where one Kiki Mladenovic is concerned.

Not that Garcia is going to be staying up late worrying about it all. Nor should she.



===============================================
RISERS: Simona Halep/ROU and Alona Ostapenko/LAT
...just call her "S1mona."



During a week that included "World Smile Day," at least until her final outing this weekend, no one's smile was bigger than that of Halep. After much trail and error, and failing on three occasions to win a match that would have lifted her to the #1 ranking, the Romanian made her fourth try the ultimate charm, becoming the 25th woman to become the WTA's singles #1 with a semifinal victory over Alona Ostapenko, ending her fifteen-week run at #2, and finally surpassing the career-best ranking she first achieved back in August 2014. The Latvian had been one of the players to deny Halep the #1 ranking when she'd been one win away, staging a comeback in the Roland Garros final this past spring. But Ostapenko was just the final player to be on the receiving end of a little Halep revenge in Beijing. In addition to wins over Alison Riske and Magadalena Rybarikova, Halep knocked off U.S. Open Night 1 conqueror Maria Sharapova and Dasha Kasatkina, who throttled her a week ago in Wuhan, confidently taking down both in straight sets. While she fell to 1-4 in '17 finals while coming up short vs. Caroline Garcia in the final, Halep noted that the in-form Pasty "won" the match rather than *her* losing it, quite a step forward in thinking from a playing who's sometimes in the past berated herself for missing a shot in a match that she's decisively leading. It's been a long, tough road to get to #1, but Halep has persevered and come out on top, proving what others said she was capable of, though it took a while for the woman in question to be fully convinced. While a maiden slam title remains on her career "To-Do" list, Halep's ability to maneuver the obstacle course of success, failure and the sometimes-trouble "in-between" in recent seasons to get to what she described as "my special day" should serve her well as she seeks her *next* career goal.




"It was the toughest year but also the best year," Halep said of a season in which she's battled injury, disappointment, gut-checks and a long look in the mirror after a brief break-up with/challenge put down by coach Darren Cahill. But, of course, it's the trials that make the ultimate successes that much more sweet. After the joy she experienced in Beijing, even with the lack of a virual exclamation point at the end of the week, can you imagine what winning that elusive major would be like for Si-mo-na?

Hopefully, we'll soon find out.



Ostapenko was also flying high once again in Beijing as she further sharpened the final point of an already fine season. Her third SF-or-better result in a row in Asia, where's she gone 11-2 in recent weeks, the Latvian opened (after a 1st Round bye courtesy of her late work in Wuhan) with a victory over Samantha Stosur, was on the receiving end of a quick retirement three games into the match by the heavily-taped Peng Shuai, then knocked off Sorana Cirstea to advance to her tour lead-tying seventh semifinal of the season. But with a chance to once again thwart Simona Halep's rise to #1, ala in Paris, Ostapenko was on the receiving end of the confident and soaring version of the Romanian that we'd hoped to see for an entire match in her three previous attempts this season to put up a single victory that would lift her atop the rankings. For her part, Alona will also rise to another career-high on Monday (#7), and very well could see Halep again (maybe even more than once) before the end of the season. At least we can only hope.
===============================================
SURPRISES: Guo Hanyu/CHN and Alexa Guarachi/CHI
...the early Week 41 spotlight goes to a pair of qualifiers who both won back-to-back matches to reach their maiden tour MD in their first qualifying attempts.

In Tianjin, 19-year old Guo (#331, though she was inside the Top 300 as recently as August) notched wins over Dalila Jakupovic and Nina Stojanovic to qualify in her WTA tournament debut. The closest Guo, a winner of a $10K singles and doubles title in '16, had come to a full tour-level WTA event was in a pair of WTA 125 Series tournaments earlier this year. She lost in the opening Q-round in one, then qualified and fell to Eri Hozumi in the 1st Round in another in April.

In Hong Kong, 26-year old Chilean Guarachi will make her WTA MD debut after posting wins over Riko Sawayanagi and Jill Teichmann in her first attempt to qualify at a tour-level event. The Florida-born Guarachi, a former Alabama player, represented the U.S from 2005-15 before utilizing her dual citizenship to play for Chile beginning two years ago. She's #413 in singles, but has won six ITF doubles titles (she's #174) this year. Guarachi missed nearly all of 2016 with a knee injury, but now believes she can be Top 50 in doubles.
===============================================
VETERAN: Barbora Strycova/CZE
...the 31-year old isn't likely (though it's not impossible) to back up her first career Top 20 season of a year ago with another, as she'll be at #26 (up 3 spots) on Monday, but she's had a successful season despite having not reached a final after playing in two in '16. The third-ranked Czech *has* produced six QF results, and had three trips to semis. In Beijing, she notched three wins en route to the quarters, including the first of her career over a world #1 (her 8th vs. Top 10) against a retiring Garbine Muguruza in the 1st Round (besting her win over a #2 Li Na at Wimbledon in 2014), and additional victories over Julia Goerges and Dasha Gavrilova. She ultimately lost to Fed Cup teammate Petra Kvitova. But, you know, for all the camaraderie Petra shows her fellow Maidens, she *does not" allow them to defeat her on the singles court. So...


===============================================
COMEBACKS: Petra Kvitova/CZE and Sorana Cirstea/ROU
...a former Beijing finalist (2014), Kvitova continued to add to her Comeback Player of the Year resume in her return to the event, putting up her first semifinalist result since she won in Birmingham in her second tournament back from emergency surgery on her hands and fingers last December. Her week was bookended by a pair of wins over fellow Czechs Kristyna Pliskova and Barbora Strycova -- her 23rd and 24th consecutive wins over countrywomen -- surrounding two more against Varvara Lepchenko and Caroline Wozniacki.



Meanwhile, Cirstea, already having worked her way back into the Top 50 after finding her way through her latest stretch of injury, had her fifth QF-or-better result of the season in Beijing, stringing together wins over Mona Barthel, Christina McHale and Karolina Pliskova. Her win over the #4-ranked Pliskova was the fifteenth of her career over a Top 10 player, and matches her best-ever result (her upset of #4 Jelena Jankovic in Fed Cup play for her very first Top 10 win in 2008). Cirstea lost in the QF to Alona Ostapenko, who was also her doubles partner for the week (the Latvian enthusiastically said the Romanian "is really nice"). At #38 on Monday, after a campaign that has seen her post MD wins at all four slams for the first time since 2013 (including her first Round of 16 since 2009, in the AO), Cirstea is assured of her best season-ending finish since 2013 (#22).


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


FRESH FACE: Dasha Kasatkina/RUS
...though she was ultimately on the receiving end of a bit of Halep-style revenge for her Wuhan dismantling of the Swarmette a week ago, Kasatkina had another good week in Beijing. She got a measure of her own Russian vengeance (eek) with a win over Natalalia Vikhlyantseva, who defeated her in their first meeting in Saint Petersburg in February, then followed up with victories over Lara Arruabarrena and defending champ Aga Radwanska to reach the QF, her first final eight result since she claimed her maiden tour title in Charleston in April. 9-4 since the start of the U.S. Open, where she put together her first slam Round of 16 run, Kasatkina jumps five more spots to #29 on Monday, just five off her career-best.
===============================================
DOWN: Aga Radwanska/POL
...first, the good news. Aga still has *it* and can pull it out on occasion, even at the end of a long season.



Now, the rest.

As the defending champ, Radwanska's 3rd Round loss to Dasha Kasatkina officially made Beijing the last of three 2016 singles titles that Aga has failed to defend in '17. Actually, she's never successfully defended any of her twenty career singles WTA singles titles, but unlike in previous seasons she hasn't replaced those past titles with new ones in different tournaments this year. In fact, she's reached just one final, her fewest since 2010, and it was all the way back in Week 2 in Sydney. Much injury and (admitted) exhaustion later, she didn't produce a slam QF result all year ('10 was the last time for that, too) and has zero Top 10 wins (she's never gone a season without at least one since she made her tour debut in '06 after a banner junior career).

Now, it's not as if she's fallen totally off the table in Mladenovic-like fashion. Even at a mediocre 24-17 -- 18-14 since her encouraging 6-3 start in January -- her two-win week in Beijing is her second in her last two events, and sixth in seven (9/17 on the year). But after having already fallen out of the Top 10 for the first time in over 100 weeks prior to the U.S. Open, after six straight Top 10 seasons (and eight in nine) Radwanska is now in imminent danger of slipping even further down the tour ladder. With her Beijing '16 points falling off this week, she'll go from #11 to #17 on Monday and find herself just 125 points from falling out of the Top 20 (and she's still yet to lose her WTA Finals semifinal points from last fall). And that's big news, since the 28-year old Pole has the longest -- by a long shot -- current streak of weeks in the Top 20. She's been secure in (at least) that position for over 500 weeks, since February 18, 2008, nearly three years longer than the player (Petra Kvitova) with the second-most Top 20 weeks in a row, and last finished outside the ranks in 2007 (#26).
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ITF PLAYER: Fernanda Brito/CHI
...while the likes Beatriz Haddad Maia and Veronica Cepede Royg have produced better than average (and better than expected) results on the WTA tour this year for the whole of South America, players from the continent have predictably maintained a presence on the ITF circuit, too. Chile's Brito notched her third title of the season -- tying her with VEN's Andrea Gamiz for the lead in S.A. -- this week in Villa del Dique, Argentina. The 25-year old, 3-2 in '17 finals (and 5-6 since August '16), won her 16th career ITF crown with a win in the final over ARG's Stephanie Mariel Petit, and picked up the doubles title (her 21st, and third this season) with Paraguay's Camila Giangreco Campiz.

*ITF TITLES - SOUTH AMERICANS*
3 - Fernanda Brito, CHI
3 - Andrea Gamiz, VEN
2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA
2 - Nathaly Kurata, BRA
1 - Emiliana Arango, COL
1 - Gabriela Ce, BRA
1 - Maria Lourdes Carle, ARG
1 - Paula Cristina Goncalves, BRA
1 - Barbara Gatica, CHI
1 - Maria Fernanda Herazo, COL
1 - Catalina Pella, ARG
1 - Daniela Seguel, CHI


===============================================
JUNIOR STARS: Emily Appleton/Caty McNally (GBR/USA)
...in Hilton Head, South Carolina the $15K women's doubles champions were a pair of teenagers.



18-year old Brit Appleton teamed with 15-year old Bannerette McNally to claim the title in their very first outing as a pair, defeating the likes of veteran Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko in the QF before taking out Kylie Collins & Meg Kowalski in a 7-5/6-3 final. For McNally, who reached summer's Wimbledon girl doubles final and the RG junior singles QF, it's her first career pro title, while it's Appleton's second in recent weeks. 2017's Coffee Bowl champ (January), AO girls quarterfinalist and Banana Bowl finalist (February) also picked up the $15K title in Buenos Aires last month while partner fellow teen (and U.S. Open girls semifinalist) Maria Lourdes Carle.
===============================================
DOUBLES: Chan Yung-Jan/Martina Hingis (TPE/SUI)
...make no mistake about it, Chan & Hingis are putting the finishing touches on one of THE great doubles seasons. The duo won their fourth straight title in Beijing, grabbing their ninth title (they're undefeated in finals) of the season and extending their current winning streak to eighteen matches, wrapping up the title with a 6-1/6-4 win over Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova (who were going for their third straight tour title) that gives Hingis her second Beijing crown (2015 w/ Sania Mirza, def. Chan and her sister Hao-ching in the final). This week marked Hingis' return to the #1 doubles ranking (her 67th week there in her career), nineteen years after she first reached the spot back in 1998. 52-6 on the season, Chan/Hingis have won six of this season's nine Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 titles (5 of the last 6), as well as the U.S. Open. If they add the WTA Finals to their title list their '17 season will officially take on an epic glow.



With her tenth title of the season, Chan (a title ahead of Hingis thanks to a win with her sister earlier this year) matches the recent season title highs recorded by Hingis & Mirza (9 together, and one each with other partners, in 2015), Cara Black & Liezel Huber (as a duo in '08) and Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur (duo '06). Before re-teaming with Martina, she's back this week in the Hong Kong draw with Hao-ching by her side.
===============================================


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1. Beijing QF - Caroline Garcia def. Elina Svitolina
...6-7(5)/7-5/7-6(6). And now the Ukrainian assumes the role of "lady in waiting." It was Svitolina's chances to reach #1 that took the blow with this match, but it was Garcia's bold, nerve-less shotmaking that earned the headlines here. In the 3:21 epic encounter, Garcia played from both ahead and behind, but never, ever gave up, even after failing while trying to pull off some of her more aggressive tactics. She led and blew leads in both the 1st and 2nd sets, splitting the pair, then trailed 3-1 in the 3rd (Svitolina had a BP for 4-1), but held on and broke for 3-3. Svitolina served for the match at 6-5, but Garcia finished off the last of seven straight 3rd set breaks of serve to force a deciding TB. Garcia stayed alive with big serving, but it was the Ukrainian who held a MP at 6-5. Garcia swept the final three points, putting away the win with a second serve return winner to finish with 60 winners (vs. 67 UE's, while Svitolina was 31/42) and coast past a certain countrywoman in the rankings.


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2. Beijing Final - Caroline Garcia def. Simona Halep
...6-4/7-6(3). Though they actually tied in total points (76-76), Garcia was the leading player throughout the final as she extended her winning streak to eleven matches and completed the maiden Wuhan/Beijing title sweep. Halep didn't fold, but her inability to convert one of nine BP attempts on Garcia's serve in game #7 of the 2nd set was her last chance to operate from any sort of position of power in this one. Garcia never allowed her to surge ahead and, save for erroneously letting go one Halep passing shot sail into the corner without a volley attempt (it cut the Pastry's TB lead to 4-3), kept full control of the match on her own racket.
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3. Beijing 3rd Rd. - Simona Halep def. Maria Sharapova
...6-2/6-2. In 1:12, Halep puts on on consummate show to avenge her 1st Round U.S. Open loss to Sharapova and get her first win in eight tries vs. the Russian (in the biggest blowout scoreline of the head-to-head series). Halep had just six UE's (to Sharapova's 39) in the match, and her post-match smile told the story of her week to come.




Even while suffering her first straight sets loss of the season, and being out-pointed by a decisive 63-36 edge, Sharapova jumps eighteen spots in the rankings this week to #86.


===============================================
4. Bejing SF - Simona Halep def. Alona Ostapenko
...6-2/6-4. Halep slays another personal demon to become the 25th WTA singles #1, and the first Romanian to hold the spot. Being broken for 4-4 in the 2nd, but not buckling under in disappointment and "here we go again" frustration, turned out to just be one final rite of passage. "The Heart of Backspin" showed her heart this week.



===============================================
5. Beijing 1st Rd. - Barbora Strycova def. Garbine Muguruza
...6-1/2-0 ret. Muguruza's (first) stint at #1 ends with a whimper, and a 4-3 mark.




And then Garbi turned 24...


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6. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Maria Sharapova def. Ekaterina Makarova
...6-4/4-6/6-1. She's no Petra-vs.-Maidens, but this 2:13 win ran Sharapova's record to 89-25 (35-4 since early '10) vs. fellow Hordettes.
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7. Beijing 2nd Rd. - Alize Cornet def. Angelique Kerber
...6-4/6-4. After sparking some hope with a mini-run in Tokyo, Kerber has now lost three straight for the third time this season.
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8. Beijing 1st Rd. - Christina McHale def. Sloane Stephens
...6-3/6-0. With every passing week, both prior to and after her win in Paris, Ostapenko's post-first slam title form is more and more the exception to the WTA rule.

Meanwhile, Stephens is still winless (to the tune of 24-7 in total games) since winning the Open. As the first slam winner not to qualify for the WTA Finals, she really has no reason to have her head in the right place to compete and doesn't have anything to play for, anyway. She should just go ahead and take a page from Serena's book and call it a season now. Take some time off and be ready to go again come January. Few could sincerely argue against the decision, and most wouldn't even notice.
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9. Beijing 3rd Rd. - Caroline Garcia def. Alize Cornet
...6-3/6-1. Garcia is 3-0 vs. Cornet. 2-0 post-LOL.
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10. Tianjin Q1 - Sara Errani def. You Xiaodi 6-2/6-1
Tianjin Q2 - Sara Errani def. Han Xinyun 6-3/6-2
...the Italian makes a successful return from her two-month "tortellini suspension."
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HM- $25K Toowoomba Q3 - Viktoriya Rajicic def. Alexandra Stevenson
...1-6/6-4/5-4, 40/30 ret. So this is what it takes for Stevenson, eighteen years beyond her Wimbledon semifinal run, to get some attention these days: retire when she's MP down.


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Coffee with Lucie...

???? ??#monaco #cafedeparis #coffeewithlucie

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And Bethanie won't back down...




1. Beijing SF - CHAN YUNG-JAN/Martina Hingis def. Sania Mirza/Peng Shuai 2-6/6-1 [10-5]
Beijing Final - CHAN YUNG-JAN/Martina Hingis def. Timea Babos/Andrea Hlavackova 6-1/6-4
...Hingis is 6-2 vs. Mirza in the post-"Santina" era, including a 3-0 mark with Chan by her side in the semis of their last three events. As a duo, Chan/Hingis are 6-1 vs. Mirza this season. While Garcia's Wuhan/Beijing sweep was the first ever in singles, that of Chan/Hingis is the third in doubles. Hingis/Mirza did it in 2015, and Mattek-Sands/Safarova matched the feat last year.
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2. Beijing 3rd Rd. - Dasha Kasatkina def. AGA RADWANSKA
...4-6/7-5/6-2. Kasatkina adds her first win over a defending champion to her previous two this season over tournament #1 seeds.
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3. $15K Hilton Head SF - Ulrikke Eikeri def. ANNA TURATI 6-0/6-0
$15K Hilton Head Final - Ulrikke Eikeri def. BIANCA TURATI 6-4/6-1
...Eikeri prevented the very first all-Turati twin final (Bianca holds a 3-1 head-to-head lead over Anna in other ITF singles match-ups) with a double-bagel win over Anna in the semis, then she created an Italian family revenge pact that will last for all eternity by taking out Bianca in the final, as well. The twins are teammates on the women's tennis squad at the University of Texas.
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4. $25K Pula F - CHIARA SCHOLL def. Michaela Honcova 6-1/4-6/6-1
$25K Pula Final - Anastaia Grymalska/CHIARA SCHOLL def. Michaela Honcova/Akiko Omae 4-6/6-3 [13-11]
...at Honcova's expense (twice), Scholl swept the titles in Pula for her eighth (s) and ninth (d) career ITF crowns. It's the seventh title sweep of her career, as well.
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5. $15K Nonthaburi Final - Nudnida Luangnam/VARUNYA WONGTEANCHAI def. Elaine Genovese/Oona Orpana
...6-4/6-4. This match is listed in this section because it's Wongteanchai's 16th career ITF win, but it's listed at all because 26-year old Genovese thus makes it TWO -- with junior Helene Pellicano -- current players of note from, of all places, Malta. This was Genovese's first career final.


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Sigh (rolls eyes and shakes head)...

So... could someone give me some info on divorce process in Australia? ?? #renogonewrong #wedidntmakeitthru #sob

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Excuse me

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?? #Beijing #MaybeNotTheSelfieStick

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Minimalist

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*WTA SINGLES #1's*
1975 Chris Evert, USA
1976 Evonne Goolagong, AUS
1978 Martina Navratilova, USA
1980 Tracy Austin, USA
1987 Steffi Graf, FRG/GER
1991 Monica Seles, YUG (later USA)
1995 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, ESP
1997 Martina Hingis, SUI
1998 Lindsay Davenport, USA
2001 Jennifer Capriati, USA
2002 Venus Williams, USA
2002 Serena Williams, USA
2003 Kim Clijsters, BEL
2003 Justine Henin, BEL
2004 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 Maria Sharapova, RUS
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB
2008 Jelena Jankovic, SRB
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN
2012 Victoria Azarenka, BLR
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER
2017 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
2017 Garbine Muguruza, ESP
2017 Simona Halep, ROU

*MOST SINGLES #1's IN A SEASON*
5 - 2008 (Henin/Sharapova/Ivanovic/Jankovic/S.Williams)
5 - 2017 (Kerber/S.Williams/Ka.Pliskova/Muguruza/Halep)
4 - 2002 (Davenport/Capriati/V.Williams/S.Williams)
4 - 2006 (Davenport/Clijsters/Mauresmo/Henin)

*REACHED WTA SINGLES #1 w/o SLAM TITLE*
August 2003 - Kim Clijsters (won 2005 U.S. Open)
September 2004 - Amelie Mauresmo (won 2006 Australian)
August 2008 - Jelena Jankovic (-)
April 2009 - Dinara Safina (-)
October 2010 - Caroline Wozniacki (-)
July 2017 - Karolina Pliskova (-)
October 2017 - Simona Halep (-)

*2017 CONSECUTIVE SINGLES FINALS*
3 - Madrid/Rome/RG - Simona Halep (WLL)
2 - Doha/Dubai - Caroline Wozniacki (LL)
2 - Bogota/Rabat - Francesca Schiavone (WL)
2 - Monterrey/Rabat - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (WW)
2 - Stuttgart/Madrid - Kristina Mladenovic (LL)
2 - Bastad/Toronto - Caroline Wozniacki (LL)
2 - Quebec City/Tashkent - Timea Babos (LL)
2 - WUHAN/BEIJING - CAROLINE GARCIA (WW)

*2017 FROM MP DOWN TO WIN TITLE*
Taipei City - Elina Svitolina, UKR (4 MP - QF/Jabeur)
Prague - Mona Barthel, GER (3 MP - Q2/Paolini)
Cincinnati - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (3 MP - 3r/Keys)
Tokyo TPP - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2 MP - QF/Cibulkova)
BEIJING - CAROLINE GARCIA, FRA (1 MP - QF/Svitolina)

*2017 WTA FINALS*
7 - Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (1-6)
5 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (5-0)
5 - SIMONA HALEP, ROU (1-4)
4 - Kristina Mladenovic, FRA (1-3)
[2015-17]
14 - Angelique Kerber (7-7)
13 - SIMONA HALEP (7-6)
13 - Karolina Pliskova (6-7)
12 - Caroline Wozniacki (4-8)
11 - Serena Williams (8-3)

*2017 WTA SF*
7 - Caroline Wonziacki DEN (7-0)
7 - SIMONA HALEP, ROU (5-2)
7 - ALONA OSTAPENKO, LAT (3-4)
7 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (2-4+W)
7 - Garbine Muguruza, ESP (2-5)
6 - Elina Svitolina, UKR (5-1)
6 - Johanna Konta, GBR (3-2+L)
6 - CAROLINE GARCIA, FRA (2-4)
[2015-17]
22 - SIMONA HALEP (9/6/7)
22 - Angelique Kerber (8/11/3)
21 - Karolina Pliskova (8/6/7)
19 - Elina Svitolina (6/7/6)
19 - Aga Radwanska (8/9/2)
18 - Caroline Wozniacki (7/4/7)
16 - Serena Williams (9/6/1)
15 - Garbine Muguruza (5/3/7)

*CONSECUTIVE YEARS w/ 2+ SINGLES TITLES*
[w/ two 2017 titles]
2 years - Karolina Pliskova, 2016-17
2 years - CAROLINE GARCIA, 2016-17
[w/o 2 2017 titles]
10 years - Serena Williams, 2007-16
6 years - Petra Kvitova, 2011-16
4 years - Simona Halep, 2013-16
2 years - Angelique Kerber, 2015-16
2 years - Aga Radwanska, 2015-16

*WTA SINGLES TOP 10 - FRANCE*
[by Top 10 debut]
1975 Francoise Durr
1994 Mary Pierce
1998 Nathalie Tauziat
1999 Amelie Mauresmo
1999 Julie Halard-Decugis
2000 Sandrine Testud
2007 Marion Bartoli
2017 Caroline Garcia

*2017 WTA+FC WINNING STREAKS*
[singles]
13 - Elina Svitolina (+2 wins post-walkover loss)
11 - CAROLINE GARCIA (active)
11 - Elise Mertens
10 - Simona Halep
[doubles]
18 - Y.CHAN/HINGIS (active)
13 - Bethanie Mattek-Sands
13 - Y.Chan/Hingis
12 - Makarova/Vesnina (+1 pre-streak before walkover loss)
11 - BABOS/HLAVACKOVA (ended in Beijing final)
11 - Chan Yung-Jan

*MOST WTA DOUBLES FINALS in 2017*
9...Y.CHAN/HINGIS (8-0+W)
6...Barty/Dellacqua (3-3)
5...BABOS/HLAVACKOVA (3-2)
5...Makarova/Vesnina (3-2)
5...Hradecka/Siniakova (0-5)
[individuals]
11..CHAN YUNG-JAN (9-1+W)
10..MARTINA HINGIS (8-1+W)
8...ANDREA HLAVACKOVA (4-4)
6...TIMEA BABOS (4-2)
6...Ash Barty (3-3)
6...Casey Dellacqua (3-3)

*MOST SEASON WTA WD TITLES - since 2002*
2017 - 10 - Chan Yung-Jan; 9 - Martina Hingis
2016 8 - Sania Mirza
2015 10 - Martina Hingis, Sania Mirza
2014 5 - Sara Errani, Peng Shuai, Roberta Vinci
2013 5 - Hsieh Su-Wei, Sania Mirza, Peng Shuai, Kristina Mladenovic
2012 8 - Sara Errani, Roberta Vinci
2011 6 - Kveta Peschke, Katarina Srebotnik
2010 8 - Gisela Dulko
2009 7 - Nuria Llagostera Vives, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez
2008 10 - Cara Black, Liezel Huber
2007 9 - Cara Black, Liezel Huber
2006 10 - Lisa Raymond, Samantha Stosur
2005 7 - Samantha Stosur
2004 7 - Cara Black, Nadia Petrova, Meghann Shaughnessy
2003 8 - Ai Sugiyama
2002 9 - Lisa Raymond

*2017 PREMIER MANDATORY/PREMIER 5 CHAMPIONS*
Dubai - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Indian Wells - Elena Vesnina, RUS
Miami - Johanna Konta, GBR
Madrid - Simona Halep, ROU
Rome - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Toronto - Elina Svitolina, UKR
Cincinnati - Garbine Muguruza, ESP
Wuhan - Caroline Garcia, FRA
Beijing - Caroline Garcia, FRA
[doubles]
Dubai - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Indian Wells - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI
Miami - Dabrowski/Xu Yifan, CAN/CHN
Madrid - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI
Rome - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI
Toronto - Makarova/Vesnina, RUS/RUS
Cincinnati - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI
Wuhan - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI
Beijing - Y.Chan/Hingis, TPE/SUI


#LifewithDasha



Chakvetadze sighting!



And this...









TIANJIN, CHINA [Int'l/Hard]
16 Singles Final: Peng d. Riske
16 Doubles Final: McHale/Peng d. Linette/Xu Yifan
17 Top Seeds: Garcia/Kvitova
=============================
=SF=
(WC) Sharapova d. #3 Peng
#2 Kvitova d. #6 Sakkari
=FINAL=
#2 Kvitova d. (WC) Sharapova

...as of right now, Sharapova is still set to play Garcia in the 1st Round. Whether Caro -- harboring a leg injury, with an expected WTA Finals date and Konta needing to have a huge Kremlin Cup run to even have a chance to replace her in the field -- ultimately decides to play at all, or go full-out if she does, with so much at stake is the big question. Of course, maybe we've only witnessed the first half of a Cibulkova-like final weeks run from the Pastry that ultimately results in still more hardware being lifted over her head.

Late Note: Garcia ultimately decided to withdraw

=DOUBLES SF=
Jiang/Tang d. Kozlova/Ar.Rodionova
Chuang/Wang Yafan d. #2 Hibino/Kovinic
=DOUBLES FINAL=
Jiang/Tang d. Chuang/Wang Yafan

...considering my relative recent success rates, maybe I should *only* predict the doubles.


HONG KONG, CHINA (Int'l/Hard)
16 Singles Final: Wozniacki d. Mladenovic
16 Doubles Final: Chan/Chan d. Broady/Watson
17 Top Seeds: Svitolina/V.Williams
=============================
=SF=
#1 Svitolina d. #3 Wozniacki
#2 V.Williams d. Stosur
=FINAL=
#2 V.Williams d. #1 Svitolina

=DOUBLES SF=
#1 Chan/Chan d. #4 Hozumi/Kato
#2 Aoyama/Yang Zhaoxuan d. #3 Ninomiya/Voracova
=DOUBLES FINAL=
#2 Aoyama/Yang Zhaoxuan d. #1 Chan/Chan


LINZ, AUSTRIA (Int'l/Hard Indoor)
16 Singles Final: Cibulkova d. Golubic
16 Doubles Final: Bertens/Larsson d. Groenefeld/Peschke
17 Top Seeds: Rybarikova/Strycova
=============================
=SF=
#6 Siniakova d. #5 Cirstea
(WC) Bencic d. #2 Strycova
=FINAL=
(WC) Bencic d. #6 Siniakova

=DOUBLES SF=
#1 Bertens/Larsson d. #3 Flipkens/Schuurs
Krajicek/Strycova d. Buzarnescu/Kalashnikova
=DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Bertens/Larsson d. Krajicek/Strycova


And, finally...





All for now.
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