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Saturday, January 19, 2019

AO.6 - When Almost is the Best Part

One day after Aryna Sabalenka was overwhelmed by (and maybe underprepared for) Amanda Anisimova, two more pre-tournament "favorites" (if there is such a thing) were put to the test by veteran opponents. Both called upon past experiences to get them through.

Neither result, by any means, was a sure thing... and that may turn out to be best thing imaginable for both Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina.

As is often the case when players face off with the mind boggling game of Hsieh Su-wei (see Angie Kerber at last year's AO), Osaka had a hard time figuring out what to do against her offbeat combination of sudden and oft-perplexing variety and quick-strike ability. Running around the court with little intent, the #4 seed spent more time chasing balls than hitting them. Hsieh broke for a 4-2 lead, causing Osaka to angrily bounce her racket off the MCA surface. She got the break back, but saw the 33-year old from Taiwan break her serve again to take a 7-5 1st set. This time time Osaka threw her racket.



Broken early in the 2nd, and down 3-0 and 4-1, Osaka hit her way out of her stupor and gradually seized control, breaking Hsieh in games #7 and #9, and then holding to send things to a 3rd set. There, the 21-year old got the early break and rode it out to win 5-7/6-4/6-1.



Osaka didn't really face anything quite like this en route to her U.S. Open title (she lost just one set, to Sabalenka, incidentally), and finding a way to overcome such a predicament here could very well be an important development not only in relation to her prospects next week, but for how her career will continue to advance as she forms a protective coating of on-court experiences around her that could one day make a display of these sorts of survival skills a routine occurrence for her. And that would surely mean *big* things would soon be coming her way in fast and furious fashion.

Not surprisingly, the memory of her Week 1 Brisbane loss (her capitulation to Lesia Tsurenko, as well as her mature and appalled reaction to it) reared its head for the first time since. Likely not for the last time, either... and that's a good thing (see preceding paragraph).



Meanwhile, #6 seeded Svitolina was facing Zhang Shuai, an AO quarterfinalist three years ago, as well as battling a neck injury that led to multiple medical time outs during the match. In the end, rather than go down in flames earlier than anticipated in yet another slam, she once again utilized the fighting skills she flashed while winning the WTA Finals last fall. And she found a way. It was dramatic, and hardly the sort of thing she'd want to have to duplicate too many times. But it got her through, and that's all that matters.

With Zhang firing balls deep and coming in behind the shots to the net, the 29-year old from China put away a volley to reach BP in game #9, then fired a deep return into the corner and won another point at the net to break for a 5-4 lead. Up 40/love a game later, she put away the set on her second SP with a backhand down the line.

Despite taking an MTO in the middle of game #9 in the 2nd, Svitolina held and quickly broke Zhang a game later to force a 3rd set. There, after another MTO between sets, she found herself down a double break at 3-0. That's when "Eli 2.0" kicked in as Zhang had to deal with her own physical issues. Svitoina broke to close to 3-1, then held for 3-2 before Zhang took her own MTO. Fighting off BP's, the Ukrainian held for 4-3 two games later.

She failed to serve out the match at 5-3. Zhang wildly sailed a forehand off a short ball (Svitolina ducked from her position near the net) a game later, but held for 5-5. With Zhang serving to force a 10-point TB two games later, Svitolina led 15/30 and seemed in control of a rally, only to stop play to challenge the call of a Zhang shot on the baseline. The ball was in, and Svitolina lost the point. In the past, such a thing may have set the Ukrainian on edge. But not Eli 2.0.

*This* Svitolina scrambled to a short ball and lifted it to the corner for a winner to reach MP. She netted a forehand, but on her second MP saw Zhang's backhand error end the contest.



Svitolina used the momentum garnered from tough, tight matches to push her way into the winner's circle and claim her biggest career title in Singapore to end her season last fall. Assuming her neck injury doesn't become a worsening problem, this -- erasing a double-break disadvantage in the fnal set -- is just the sort of thing on which to build *another* big run.



Of course, there's *someone* who might have a say in that. Eventually.



=DAY 6 NOTES=
...speaking of...



Serena Williams made quick work of Dayana Yastremska, the only teenager left in the draw not cool-as-a-cucumber-and-named-Amanda. The 18-year old , fully *half* Williams' age, was a bit overwhelmed by the situation on Laver, as well as facing the tennis idol she talked the other day about watching when she was a little kid and dreaming about playing one day.

Thus, Serena reaches her 59th career slam Round of 16, and her 15th in Melbourne. She's reached this stage in her last eleven AO appearances (back to 2007, as she's missed two events), as well as in her last fourteen slams (to 2014, missing four).

Seeing Yastremska's tears, Williams offered supportive words at the net that will surely allow the Ukrainian to at least feel a little better about what happened.



And Serena wasn't entertaining any of interviewer Sam Smith's talk of Yastremska being "intimidated" by her, either, and said she thought she played well. Though, really, it was clear that Smith's intent wasn't so much to get Williams to talk badly about Yastremska as it was to get to questions about whether or not a young Serena was intimidated by any opponents when she first came on tour (after a while, she did eventually think to mention Venus, as well as having nice words about the inspiring nature of Billie Jean King).





Really, in retrospect, Smith should have probably said something about Yastremska being "in awe" of Williams, as it wouldn't have had quite as much of a negative connotation.

...in the night session, Serena's Round of 16 opponent was determined in a match-up between her sister Venus and #1 seed Simona Halep.

Venus was forced to three sets in her last outing against Alize Cornet, and she had to scramble back from a set and 5-3 down in the 1st vs. Mihaela Buzarnescu, too. Halep had also gone three sets in *her* opening two matches. But while Venus' long battles were easily seen as a red flag, Halep's served a purpose. After six weeks off with a back injury this offseason, and just one pre-AO match, the Romanian used her comebacks against Kaia Kanepi and Sonya Kenin to find her lost form.

It likely made all the difference... both here and maybe for what comes next.

In the 1st set, Williams had multiple opportunities (five BP, in fact) to make a real fight of things. But Halep, playing with a light wrap on her left thigh, consistently kept a step ahead. Up a break at 3-2, she saved four BP, then smacked an ace (her first of the day) to reach SP. Venus failed to get into position for a low bouncing ball at the net, flying it well beyond the baseline as the Romanian took a 4-2 lead. A long Williams forehand on BP a game later put her down 5-2. She got her fifth BP of the set in game #8, but after she failed to put it away saw Halep hit an ace up the "T" (#2) and take the set with a clean forehand winner.

The two exchanged breaks to open the 2nd set, with Williams' win in game #2 ending Halep's five game winning streak. Venus saved a BP and held for 2-1, temporarily staving off what would ultimately be her fate. Come game #7, Halep led 15/40 and got the break when a forehand into the corner elicited a Williams backhand error that gave the Romanian a 4-3 lead. Venus led 15/30 a game later, but couldn't get back Halep's big wide serve. On GP, Halep blasted a series of crosscourt shots to Williams' backhand, finally opening up a shot down the opposite line that Venus attempted to reach, but she couldn't keep her forehand in the court when she did. Up 5-3, Halep's delivered a celebratory roundhouse punch to the air.



A game later, Williams had two DF and, on MP, Halep fired a forehand winner to close out the 6-2/6-3 win.



Of course, what comes next is another matter. But that's Halep's mission, should she choose to accept it. And she surely does.



Such a thing *has* been accomplished before. Most recently, Karolina Pliskova defeated both Sisters at the U.S. Open in 2016, when the Czech defeated Venus in the Round of 16 and Serena two rounds later. Of course, she still didn't win the title. Angelique Kerber did. It's been nine seasons since both were defeated in back-to-back matches. Jelena Jankovic did it in Rome in 2010. She didn't win the title, either -- Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez did.

So there's that. And this...

*DEFEATED SERENA & VENUS IN SAME EVENT*
1998 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Sydney) = [won event]
1999 Steffi Graf (Sydney) = [reached SF]
2001 Martina Hingis (Australian Open) = [reached final]
2002 Kim Clijsters (WTA Championships) = [won event]
2004 Lindsay Davenport (Los Angeles) = [won event]
2007 Justine Henin (U.S. Open) = [won event]
2009 Kim Clijsters (U.S. Open) = [won event]
2010 Jelena Jankovic (Rome) = [reached final]
2016 Karolina Pliskova (U.S. Open) = [reached final]
[in back-to-back matches]
1998 Sydney - Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (SF Venus/F Serena)
1999 Sydney - Steffi Graf (2nd Rd. Serena/QF Venus)
2001 Australian Open - Martina Hingis (QF Serena/SF Venus)
2002 WTA Chsp. - Kim Clijsters (SF Venus/F Serena)
2004 Los Angeles - Lindsay Davenport (SF Venus/F Serena)
2007 U.S. Open - Justine Henin (QF Venus/SF Serena)
2010 Rome - Jelena Jankovic (QF Venus/SF Serena)

In the past year, the world #1 has been through "The Aussie Wars," emerging scathed but reinforced, and realistically carving a path to her triumphant march through Paris a few months later. If she can add a *second* win over a Williams in a single event to her list of battlefield heroics, it'll add another chapter to her story. As it should.

Good luck, Simo.

=This message will self-destruct in five seconds.=

5...4...3...2...1...

...in the other day session 3rd Round matches, Anastasija Sevastova defeated Wang Qiang to reach her first her first AO Round of 16 since 2011, while Madison Keys eliminated '18 semifinalist Elise Mertens in straight sets, extending her remarkably good run in majors (which she's managed to be mostly healthy for, oddly enough) that looks like this in the last six: RU-QF-SF-3r-SF-(4r).



Meanwhile, Mertens drops outside the Top 20 in the "live" rankings.

...playing in her first match since finishing up her 2nd Rounder with Johanna Konta at 3:12 a.m., #18 Garbine Muguruza won out in two over Timea Bacsinszky. The 1st set saw the two trade momentum back and fourth throughout. The Spaniard failed to serve out the set, then couldn't convert a SP at 6-5 on the Swiss woman's serve. But Muguruza took a 4-1 lead in the TB, and won it 7-5. She broke Bacsinszky to open the 2nd, and went on to win 7-6(5)/6-2 to reach her fourth AO Round of 16.



#7 Karolina Pliskova will meet #27 Carmila Giorgi late on Laver in the final women's 3rd round match to be completed.



...THIS-IS-GETTING-RIDICULOUS ON DAY 6: Hey, ESPN. Helen Wills-Moody... *still* Californian. Still *not* British.


That's not a photo of the graphic shown tonight, it's from last year... but it's the same mistaken graphic that they used during the Serena/Yastremska match, last season *and* the season before that, too.

...LIKE ON DAY 6: Last Teen Standing



...QUESTION ON DAY 6: Do two underachieving slam negatives = a positive?



Svitolina has to hope so.


...LIKE ON DAY 6:



...LIKE ON DAY 6: Small steps...




Honestly, based on her recent social media posts, I didn't realize CoCo was at *this* early a stage in her return to health.

..."HOLD ON, MISTER FEDERLING..." ON DAY 6:









=WOMEN'S SINGLES ROUND OF 16=
#1 Simona Halep/ROU vs. #16 Serena Williams/USA
#18 Garbine Muguruza/ESP vs. x
#13 Anastasija Sevastova/LAT vs. #4 Naomi Osaka/JPN
#17 Madison Keys/USA vs. #6 Elina Svitolina/UKR
#8 Petra Kvitova/CZE vs. Amanda Anisimova/USA
#15 Ash Barty/AUS vs. #30 Maria Sharapova/RUS
#5 Sloane Stephens/USA vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova/RUS
Danielle Collins/USA vs. #2 Angelique Kerber/GER

=GIRLS SINGLES SEEDS=
1. Clara Tauson, DEN
2. Zheng Qinwen, CHN
3. Diane Parry, FRA (withdrew)
4. Leylah Annie Fernandez, CAN
5. Manachaya Sawangkaew, THA
6. Lea Ma, USA
7. Luly Sun, SUI
8. Park So-hyun, KOR
9. Kamilla Bartone, LAT
10. Hong Yi Cody Wong, HKG
11. Adrienn Nagy, HUN
12. Thasaporn Naklo, THA
13. Mariia Tkacheva, RUS
14. Sada Nahimana, BDI
15. Marta Custic, ESP
16. Emma Raducanu, GBR
17. Loudmilla Bencheikh, FRA






























*2019 AUSTRALIAN. OPEN WOMEN'S FINAL 16*
[by ranking]
#1 Simona Halep
#2 Angelique Kerber
#4 Naomi Osaka
#5 Sloane Stephens
#6 Petra Kvitova
#7 Elina Svitolina
#12 Anastasija Sevastova
#15 Ash Barty
#16 Serena Williams
#17 Madison Keys
#18 Garbine Muguruza
#30 Maria Sharapova
#35 Danielle Collins
#44 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
#87 Amanda Anisimova
ALSO: #8 Ka.Pliskova vs. #28 Giorgi
[by age]
37 - Serena Williams
31 - Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova
28 - Petra Kvitova, Anastasija Sevastova
27 - Simona Halep, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
25 - Danielle Collins, Garbine Muguruza, Sloane Stephens
24 - Elina Svitolina
23 - Madison Keys
22 - Ash Barty
21 - Naomi Osaka
17 - Amanda Anisimova
ALSO: Pliskova(26) vs. Giorgi(27)
[by nation]
5...USA (Anisimova,Collins,Keys,Stephens,S.Williams)
2...RUS (Pavlyuchenkova,Sharapova)
1...AUS (Barty)
1...CZE (Kvitova)
1...ESP (Muguruza)
1...GER (Kerber)
1...JPN (Osaka)
1...LAT (Sevastova)
1...ROU (Halep)
1...UKR (Svitolina)
ALSO: Pliskova/CZE vs. Giorgi/ITA
[by career slam Round-of-16's]
59 - Serena Williams
40 - Maria Sharapova
19 - Angelique Kerber
17 - Petra Kvitova
14 - Simona Halep
12 - Madison Keys
12 - Garbine Muguruza
12 - Sloane Stephens
8 - Elina Svitolina
6 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
5 - Anastasija Sevastova
3 - Naomi Osaka
2 - Ash Barty
1 - Amanda Anisimova, Danielle Collins
ALSO: Pliskova(for 8th) vs. Giorgi(for 4th)
[w/ consecutive slam Round of 16's]
4 - Serena Williams
2 - Ash Barty
2 - Madison Keys
2 - Naomi Osaka
2 - Anastasija Sevastova
2 - Maria Sharapova
2 - Sloane Stephens
2 - Elina Svitolina
-
NOTE: S.Williams 14 in last 14 slam appearances
ALSO: Pliskova for 3rd
[w/ multiple career AO Round of 16's]
15 - Serena Williams
11 - Maria Sharapova
6 - Angelique Kerber
4 - Simona Halep
4 - Madison Keys
4 - Garbine Muguruza
3 - Petra Kvitova
3 - Sloane Stephens
2 - Naomi Osaka
2 - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
2 - Anastasija Sevastova
2 - Elina Svitolina
ALSO: Pliskova(for 3rd) vs. Giorgi(for 1st)
[w/ consecutive AO Round of 16's]
4 - Angelique Kerber
2 - Simona Halep
2 - Madison Keys
2 - Naomi Osaka
2 - Anastasija Sevastova
-
NOTE: S.Williams 11 in last 11 AO appearances
NOTE: Keys 4 in last 4 appearances
ALSO: Pliskova(for 3rd)
[WTA career slam Round of 16's - active]
59...Serena Williams
50...Venus Williams
40...Maria Sharpova
32...Svetlana Kuznetsova
23...Victoria Azarenka
22...Jelena Jankovic
21...Caroline Wozniacki
19...Angelique Kerber
17...Petra Kvitova
16...Vera Zvonareva
15...Ekaterina Makarova, Carla Suarez-Navarro
14...Simona Halep
12...Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza, Sloane Stephens, Samantha Stosur
[WTA slam Round of 16's since 2010 - active]
27...Serena Williams
23...Maria Sharapova
19...Angelique Kerber
18...Victoria Azarenka
17...Caroline Wozniacki
15...Petra Kvitova, Ekaterina Makarova, Venus Williams
14...Simona Halep, Svetlana Kuznetsova
13...Carla Suarez-Navarro
12...Madison Keys, Garbine Muguruza, Sloane Stephens
[2019 slam Rd. of 16's - by region]
5 - Eastern Europe/Russia (LAT-ROU-RUS-UKR)
5 - North America/Atlantic (USA)
3 - Western Europe/Scandinavia (CZE-ESP-GER)
2 - Asia/Oceania (AUS-JPN)
0 - Africa/Middle East (none)
0 - South America (none)
-
ALSO: Pliskova/CZE-W.Eur. vs. Giorgi/ITA-W.Eur.


Whew!


*AO "LAST AUSSIE STANDING" WINNERS*
2008 Casey Dellacqua (4th Rd.)
2009 Jelena Dokic (QF)
2010 Samantha Stosur (4th Rd.)
2011 Samantha Stosur (3rd Rd.)
2012 C.Dellacqua, J.Dokic, O.Rogowska (2nd)
2013 Samantha Stosur (2nd Rd.)
2014 Casey Dellacqua (4th Rd.)
2015 C.Dellacqua, J.Gajdosova, S.Stosur, A.Tomljanovic (2nd)
2016 Dasha Gavrilova (4th Rd.)
2017 Dasha Gavrilova (4th Rd.)
2018 Ash Barty (3rd Rd.)
2019 Ash Barty (in 4th Rd.)




TOP QUALIFIER: Astra Sharma/AUS
TOP EARLY ROUND (1r-2r): #16 Serena Williams/USA
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3 - Astra Sharma/AUS def. #25 Irina Khromacheva 5-7/7-6(7)/7-6(10) (saved 3 MP, makes slam debut)
TOP EARLY RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #18 Garbine Muguruza/ESP def. Johanna Konta/GBR 6-4/6-7(3)/7-5 (ended at 3:12 a.m.)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr./Doub.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: Rebecca Peterson/SWE (def. Cirstea/ROU)
FIRST SEED OUT: #14 Julia Goerges/GER (1st Rd. - lost to D.Collins/USA)
UPSET QUEENS: United States
REVELATION LADIES: Teens - six teenagers win 1st Round matches - Andreescu/Anisimova/Potapova/Swiatek/Vondrousova/Yastremska; Anisimova and Yastremska reach 3rd Rd.
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Romania - 2-4 1st Rd., losses to two teens, #25 seed
LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Bianca Andreescu/CAN, Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA, Astra Sharma/AUS, Iga Swiatek/POL, Natalia Vikhlyantseva/RUS (all 2nd Rd.)
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: Kimberly Birrell/AUS (3rd Rd.)
LAST AUSSIE STANDING: Ash Barty (in 4th Rd.)
Ms. OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT (??): Nominees: Anisimova, Barty
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Bacsinszky, Sharapova
CRASH & BURN: #10 Dasha Kasatkina/RUS (after leading 3-0 in 1st set, loses 12 con. games in 1st Rd. loss vs. Bacsinszky)
ZOMBIE QUEEN: Nominees: Halep (1st Rd. - down set and a break vs. Kanepi; 2nd Rd. - down 4-2 in 3rd set vs. Kenin); Osaka (3rd Rd. - down 7-5/4-1 vs. Hsieh); Svitolina (3rd Rd. - down double-break 3-0 in 3rd vs. Sh.Zhang; MTO's); Collins (1st Rd. - Goerges served for match)
KIMIKO VETERAN CUP: xx
LADY OF THE EVENING: Nominees: Halep, Muguruza
DOUBLES STAR: xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: xx




All for Day 6. More tomorrow.
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