Backspin Sites

Monday, March 4, 2019

Wk.9- The Feats of February

February may be short, but that doesn't mean the month's top performances aren't long on drama.

A rundown of the best of 2019's second month...

1. BETTER CALL BENCIC, PT.II:
...four seasons after she saved a MP and defeated four Top 10 players en route to a Premier 5 title in Toronto, Belinda Bencic saved *six* MP (all vs. Aryna Sabalenka) and defeated four *more* Top 10 players ("only" women named Halep, Svitolina and Kvitova) en route to *another* Premier 5 title in Dubai, her first tour title since winning in Canada multiple injuries and inconsistent seasons ago.

View this post on Instagram

No words needed? Dubai 2019! What a week?? @ddftennis

A post shared by Belinda Bencic (@belindabencic) on


===============================================
2. BELGIAN RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE DESERT:
...coming off a disappointing Fed Cup weekend in Liege, Elise Mertens immediately rebounds by winning her biggest career title in Doha, upsetting three Top 10ers (Bertens, Kerber and Halep), climbing back from 6-3/2-0 in the final vs. the two-time season-ending #1 Romanian while initiating a more forwardly aggressive mid-match approach after being treated for a back injury. Before staging her comeback in the final, Mertens had dropped twelve straight dating back to last August after losing the 1st set.
===============================================
3. FROM RUSSIA WITH KIKI:
...after getting some measure of revenge on Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who ended her Australian Open disappointingly early in January, Kiki Bertens out-hit Aryna Sabalenka (her 13th Top 10 win the last two seasons) to reach her fifth singles final since last April. After falling behind Donna Vekic 5-2 in the 1st set, former "clay court specialist" Bertens stormed back to take the set in a tie-break and won in straights to complete her third hard court title run since the start of '18.
===============================================
4. A HUNGRY WAFFLE IN BUDAPEST:
...Alison Van Uytvanck survived a gauntlet to defend her Budapest title, including being five MP down in the semis vs. Ekaterina Alexandrova, then coming back from a set down vs. Marketa Vondrousova in the final. Three of the Belgian's four tour-level titles have come in such tournaments, as well as her lone WTA 125 crown and five of her eleven career ITF challenger victories.
===============================================
5. DAY OF THE DAYANA:
...18-year old Dayana Yastremska won her second tour-level title in six events in Hua Hin, dropping just one set all week while taking out the likes of a former slam semifinalist (Peng Shuai), former #1 and slam winner (Garbine Muguruza), Poland's #1 (Magda Linette) and a three-time 2018-19 finalist (Ajla Tomljanovic) in the championship match. After taking the 1st from Tomljanovic, the Yastremska serve went away (she had 13 DF in match) and she dropped the 2nd. She rebounded to lead 2-0 in the 3rd, but saw the Aussie reel off five straight games and head to the changeover area to prepare to serve for her first title. Of course, that's when Yastremska took a surprise MTO. Once play resumed, Tomljanovic never won another game.


===============================================
HM- WANG WAY OR ANOTHER:
...Wang Yafan becomes the season's second first-time singles champ in Acapulco, coming back from a set down vs. Donna Vekic (SF) and Sonya Kenin (F, where the Bannerette twice led by a set and a break) to become the ninth Chinese woman to lift a tour-level singles trophy.


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


[DOUBLES]
Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova won't play together often. In fact, their pairing in Dubai was just their third ever. But it produced their second title, as they ran their overall mark to 9-1 as they added a Premier 5 crown to the Premier Mandatory they won last year in Indian Wells. The veteran duo didn't lose a set while knocking off Kato/Ninomiya, Groenefeld/Schuurs, Chan/Chan and Hradecka/Makarova in the final.

[WHEELCHAIR]
Brit Jordanne Whiley, the former U.S. Open singles champ (2015) and recently a new mom, made her return to the wheelchair tour a doubly successful one, sweeping the singles and doubles (w/ Dana Mathewson) titles at the Wrexham Indoor Series 3 event in England. The 26-year old nine-time doubles slam winner, playing for the first time since the '17 Wimbledon, double-bageled her 1st Round opponent, and followed up with victories over the #3 (Mathewson), #5, #2 (Michaela Spaanstra) and #1 (Katharina Kruger) seeds consecutively en route to the title. A week later, she reached the final of her second tournament back.


[JUNIOR]
The season's first $100K ITF challenger went to 17-year old Bannerette wild card Caty McNally. It's the first pro singles title for the former Roland Garros girls finalist and two-time junior doubles slam champ (2-3 in gd slam finals). McNally's path to her maiden title was littered with high seeds, as she knocked off the three of the Top 4 -- #1 Rebecca Peterson in the SF, #3 Madison Brengle in the QF, #4 Jessica Pegula in the final, her second straight after falling to Andreescu in the WTA 125 Newport Beach event the previous week -- as well as #7 (1st Rd./Nicole Gibbs) and Rebecca Marino (2nd) for good measure.



*WHEELCHAIR - Jan/Feb*
1. Diede de Groot, NED
2. Yui Kamiji, JPN
3. Diede de Groot/Aniek Van Koot, NED/NED
4. Giulia Capocci, ITA
5. Jordanne Whiley, GBR
HM- Katharina Kruger, GER

*MOST IMPROVED*
1. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
2. Sonya Kenin, USA
3. Danielle Collins, USA
4. Katie Boulter, GBR
5. Caty McNally, USA
6. Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP
7. Wang Yafan, CHN
8. Jen Brady, USA
9. Wang Xinyu, CHN
10. Kimberly Birrell, AUS
11. Viktoria Kuzmova, SVK
12. Karolina Muchova, CZE
13. Natalia Vikhlyantseva, RUS
14. Veronika Kudermetova, RUS
15. Iga Swiatek, POL
16. Giulia Capocci, ITA (WC)
17. Sara Sorribes Tormo, ESP
18. Anna Blinkova, RUS
19. Harriet Dart, GBR
20. Whitney Osuigwe, USA
21. Zhu Lin, CHN
22. Tamara Zidansek, SLO
23. Ivana Jorovic, SRB
24. Astra Sharma, AUS
25. Priscilla Hon, AUS
HM- Zoe Hives, AUS

*ITF*
1. Caty McNally, USA
2. Elena Rybakina, KAZ
3. Vitalia Diatchenko, RUS
4. Lulu Sun, SUI
5. Victoria Kan, RUS
HM- Ylena In-Albon, SUI

*JUNIORS*
1. Caty McNally, USA
2. Lulu Sun, SUI
3. Diane Parry, FRA
4. Yuki Naito, JPN
5. Ane Mintegi Del Olmo, ESP
6. Clara Tauson, DEN
7. Coco Gauff, USA
8. Abigail Forbes, USA
9. Kamilla Rakhimova, RUS
10. Anastasia Tikhonova, RUS
11. Savannah Broadus, USA
12. Charlotte Chavatipon, USA
13. Valentina Ivanov/Amber Marshall, NZL/AUS
14. Anna Charaeva, RUS
15. Hurricane Tyra Black, USA

*DOWN*
1. BEL Fed Cup
2. CZE Fed Cup
3. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova, CZE
4. Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya, JPN
5. Naomi Osaka, JPN
6. Elina Svitolina, UKR
7. Timea Babos, HUN
8. Sloane Stephens, USA
9. Madison Keys, USA
10. NED Fed Cup
11. Camila Giorgi, ITA
12. Mihaela Buzarnescu, ROU
HM- Julia Goerges, GER

[FED CUP]
1. Ash Barty, AUS [1st Rd. MVP]
2. Simona Halep, ROU
3. Irina-Camelia Begu/Monica Niculescu, ROU
4. Georgina Garcia Perez, ESP [WG II MVP]
5. Johanna Konta, GBR [Zone MVP]
6. Ash Barty/Priscilla Hon, AUS
7. Aryna Sabalenka, BLR
8. Caroline Garcia, FRA
9. Alize Cornet, FRA
10. Georgina Garcia Perez/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, ESP
11. Bianca Andreescu, CAN
12. Natalia Vikhlyantseva, RUS
13. Katie Boulter, GBR
14. Olga Danilovic, SRB
15. Anastasija Sevastova, LAT
16. Belinda Bencic, SUI
17. Alona Ostapenko, LAT
18. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS
19. Zarina Diyas, KAZ
20. Anna Danilina/Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
[captain]
1. Julien Benneteau, FRA
2. Florin Segarceanu, ROU
3. Alicia Molik, AUS
4. Anne Keothavong, GBR
5. Anabel Medina Garrigues, ESP
6. Igor Andreev, RUS
7. Tatiana Poutchek, BLR
8. Adrians Zguns, LAT
9. Heidi El Tabakh, CAN
10. Dias Doskarayev, KAZ
11. Roberta Burzagli, BRA
12. Anne Kremer, LUX
HM- Marion Maruska/AUT and Heinz Gunthardt, SUI
[performances]
1. Ash Barty earns all three points in Australia's 3-2 road win over the U.S.
2. Simona Halep inspires and leads Romania to history-altering 3-2 upset of Czechs
3. Georgina Garcia-Perez saved MP in Match #2, earns three points in ESP's 3-2 win over JPN
4. Johanna Konta goes 4-0 in Zone play, leading GBR to victory in Bath
5. Bianca Andreescu leads Canada to WG II road win over the Dutch

FC RISERS: Aliaksandra Sasnovich/BLR, Viktorija Golubic/SUI and Danielle Collins/USA
FC SURPRISES: Caroline Alves/BRA, Melanie Klaffner/AUT and Francisca Jorge/POR
FC VETERANS: Mandy Minella/LUX, Veronica Cepede Royg/PAR and Zhang Shuai/CHN
FC COMEBACKS: Beatriz Haddad/BRA, Yulia Putintseva/KAZ and Rebecca Marino/CAN
FC FRESH FACES: Franckie Abanda/CAN, Anna Bondar/HUN and Ons Jabeur/TUN
FC JUNIOR STAR: Maria Camila Osorio Serrano/COL
FC DOUBLES: Beatriz Haddad/Luisa Steffani (BRA) and Olga Danilovic/Aleksnadra Krunic (SRB)
FC DOWN: Elise Mertens/BEL, Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE) and Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya (JPN)
FC MOST IMPROVED: Katie Boulter/GBR, Lina Glushko/ISR and Dalma Galfi/HUN


1. Fed Cup 1st Rd. Match #3 - Simona Halep/ROU def. Karolina Pliskova/CZE
...6-4/5-7/6-4. In defeating Pliskova in 2:37 to set the tone and stage for yet another great Romanian sports triumph (a road upset of the champion Czechs), Halep's own national sports legend grew exponentially once again. While she's no longer #1, what she did in Ostrava is proof that she could return to the top of the sport, lead Romania to two more "firsts" by the end of 2019, and maybe even win that Gold medal she likes to talk about, too. She's already a living sports legend back home, but that doesn't mean there's not still more to be accomplished before she's through.
===============================================
2. Dubai SF - Belinda Bencic def. Elina Svitolina
...6-2/3-6/7-6(3). A week after blowing a 4-1 (w/ 3 BP for 5-1) 3rd set lead vs. Halep in the Doha semis, Svitolina loses a 5-3 (and serving at 5-4) lead vs. Bencic. Serving to reach the final of the event she'd won the last two years, Svitolina fell behind love/40 and DF'd her way to 5-5, then had another DF to start game #12 as she fell behind down double MP at 15/40. She *did* manage to save 3 MP -- one w/ an ace -- to force a TB, but Bencic took control there early.
===============================================
3. Fed Cup Europe/Africa I Promotional Playoff Match #2 - Johanna Konta/GBR def. Aleksandra Krunic/SRB
...7-6(1)/3-6/6-2. In Britain's first hosted FC competition in 26 years, Konta wasn't the only member of the team to go undefeated for the week (Katie Boulter did, too), but hers proved to be the most dramatic path in Bath. After her victory over Maria Sakkari completed a win over the Greeks, she also closed out a tough 2-0 win over Hungary to win Pool A, claiming a 3rd set TB over Anna Bondar after having earlier failed to secure a double-break lead in the set, three BP at 4-4 and another at 6-5. In the Promotional Playoff, she staged a 1st set comeback vs. Alekandra Krunic (who served for the set at 5-4 and 6-5), lost the 2nd and then collapsed on her way to the locker room between sets. "I progressively started feeling more and more unwell," Konta said, "feeling light-headed and shaky and feeling a little bit out of body and it got the better of me at the end of the second set." After being treated, she returned and managed to win a 6-2 3rd, then immediately collapsed just inside the baseline and had to be helped back to the changeover area to recuperate along with her celebratory teammates. "I don't even remember how the last point finished. All I remember is that the ball didn't come back and I was overcome with emotion."


===============================================
4. Hua Hin 2nd Rd. - Tamara Zidansek def. Jennifer Brady
...6-3/0-6/7-6(9). The one took it upon itself to bring almost *all* the crazy. Zidansek led 5-1, 40/love in the 3rd, but squandered three MP. Before she knew what hit her she was saving three *Brady* MP at 6-4 in the deciding TB. Brady soon after saved three more MP, only to see Zidansek advance after converting on MP #7.
===============================================
5. Doha Final - Elise Mertens def. Simona Halep
...3-6/6-4/6-3. For a while, it looked like a Church of Simona moment, as the Romanian led 6-3/2-0. But Mertens' eight-minute MTO for a back injury preceded a stark change in momentum. The Belgian returned with a more aggressive mindset, and wrestled away the course of the match. After being broken at love to send things to a 3rd, Halep (blisters) had her entire right foot re-wrapped between sets. Mertens broke to start the final set, then held for 2-0 in a long second game, denying multiple BPs and winning on her third GP. After Mertens lost the break lead, got it back, then gave it back again, Halep's struggles with her movement prevented her from (literally) putting her foot down right when the Belgian seemed perhaps susceptible to giving up the lead in the set in the closing games. With Mertens again up a break at 5-3, Halep finally slipped away, falling down love/30 and 15/40 before the Waffle secured her third straight Top 10 win in Doha and her biggest career title.
===============================================
HM- Fed Cup Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #1 - Katie Boulter/GBR def. Dalma Galfi/HUN 6-4/6-7(5)/7-6(1)
Fed Cup Europe/Africa I Round Robin Match #2 - Johanna Konta/GBR def. Anna Bondar/HUN 6-2/6-7(1)/7-6(4)
...with the prospect of yet another just-missed-it FC disappointment (on the heels of last April's WG II Playoff loss to Japan after leading 2-1 following Konta's defeated of Naomi Osaka), Boulter and Konta this time went to the wire to take down the "second string" Hungarians, with both coming back from a break down in the 3rd set to win a match-up that determined a berth in the Promotional Playoff vs. Serbia.
===============================================


1. Dubai 3rd Rd. - Belinda Bencic def. Aryna Sabalenka
...6-4/2-6/7-6(7). Bencic's six saved MP are the most averted en route to a title since Andrea Petkovic saved eight (all vs. Van Uytvanck) on her way to winning in Antwerp in 2015. Later that year in Toronto, Bencic saved a MP (vs. Lisicki, also in the 3rd Rd.) along the way to her four Top 10-win run there.


===============================================
2. Dubai QF - Hsieh Su-wei def. Karolina Pliskova
...6-4/1-6/7-5. And the Tennis Gods said, "Now we're even, Karolina." If one was looking for the moment that would restore balance to the universe following Pliskova's win from 5-1 and MP down vs. Serena Williams at the AO, well, the Czech losing here after seeming to have things wrapped up -- not coincidentally also after leading 5-1 in the 3rd, as if the TG's thought we'd be too stupid to notice it otherwise -- would appear to be the real deal.
===============================================
3. Doha SF - Simona Halep def. Elina Svitolina
...6-3/3-6/6-4. Having won three straight matches over Halep in dominant fashion (36-13 in games) since blowing a set and 5-1 lead and a MP in the RG QF against the Romanian, Svitolina was in control here. Playing with a forward style, she led 4-1 in the 3rd and had three BP for another 5-1 lead. But once Halep constructed an eight-minute hold for 4-2, Svitolina lost control of the narrative of the match. Halep broke for 4-3, then held at love to knot the set. A running forehand pass down the line gave Halep her first BP of game #9, during which the Ukrainian (seemingly grasping at straws) unsuccessfully challenged two shots (both clearly called correctly) that had given the Romanian BP opportunities. Finally, on BP #3, Svitolina flew a forehand and Halep led 5-4. Things went quickly in game #10, as back-to-back Svitolina errors preceded Halep blazing a forehand past her at the net to reach 40/love. On MP #2, Svitolina's wide forehand provided the final point in Halep's five-game rush to close out the match.

The thing about this... it all played out in an almost routine, unsurprisingly fashion. From everyone's POV. Which may say a *lot* about the in-match "baseline mindset" for both players at this point.
===============================================
4. Fed Cup WG II Match #2 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Misaki Doi/JPN 6-2/4-6/7-6(2)
Fed Cup WG II Match #4 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/ESP def. Nao Nibino 6-3/1-6/6-1
Fed Cup WG II Match #5 - Georgina Garcia-Perez/Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez (ESP) def. Miyu Kato/Makota Ninomiya (JPN) 6-1/6-3
...GGP's complete weekend of Fed Cup ecstasy.

A point away from losing to Doi and seeing Spain go down 2-0 on the road after Day 1, the big-serving GGP seized upon the Japanese player's blown opportunity and raced to a commanding lead in the deciding TB, winning it 7-2. After Kurumi Nara had put Japan up 2-1 on Day 2, Garcia-Perez again came to the rescue, winning a three-setter over Nao Hibino (who collapsed due to cramping on her way to her press conference after having won Match #1 on Saturday) to force the deciding doubles into reality. There GGP returned yet again -- like something from an old movie where a monster ravages Tokyo -- and picked up a *third* point along with Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez, taking down Miyu Kato/Makoto Ninomiya (5-0 in '18 FC doubles) 1 & 3 to secure a crazy winning weekend in Japan.


===============================================
5. Hun Hin Final - Dayana Yastremska def. Ajla Tomljanovic
...6-2/2-6/7-6(3). The teenager is gonna get a rep, I tell ya. In the changeover before Tomljanovic was set to serve for the match at 5-2, Yastremska took a unexpected MTO, making the Aussie sit a little while longer before attempting to win her first career title. She got within two points of the crown in game #8, but dropped serve there, then did it again two games later in her second attempt to close things out. Tomljanovic did manage to hold to force a TB, and held an early mini-break lead at 2-0. But the Ukrainian won seven of the final eight points to secure her second career title.
===============================================
6. Budapest SF - Alison Van Uytvanck def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
...3-6/6-4/7-6(7). If not for Bencic in Dubai the same week, Van Uytvanck's five saved MP *here* would have been the most faced by any champion since Petko saved eight against *her* four years ago. Alexandrova was up a break twice in the 3rd, only to see the Belgian finally close out the match on her own MP #2... after winning this successful challenge:


===============================================
7. Indian Wells 125 Final - Viktorija Golubic def. Jen Brady
...3-6/7-5/6-3. Brady led 6-3/5-3, served for the match and held a MP. But she failed to close out the title, saw Golubic win eight of nine games to take a commanding 4-1 lead in the 3rd and go on to win her biggest title in three years.
===============================================


1. Fed Cup 1st Rd. Match #2 - Alize Cornet/FRA def. Elise Mertens/BEL
...7-6(6)/6-2. This was supposed to be Mertens' moment to shine, but was instead to inciting incident that set Belgium's course for a disappointing Fed Cup weekend. With the Belgians hosting a tie vs. their close-by French neighbors, the Waffle #1 was tasked with trying to lift the BEL squad into the nation's first SF since 2011. With a 6-1 FC record, a little more than a year off her AO semifinal and having been ranked in the Top 15 in recent weeks, she seemed well designed to lead the way. Man, was that thought ever wrong. Facing off with Cornet, sporting a career .125 FC win percentage despite her vast talents (but largely because of all her personal intangibles that often criss-cross and trip her up), the Belgian was well positioned to knot the tie at 1-1 then take her chances in match #3 vs. Caroline Garcia on Sunday. But after she squandered a break lead in the 1st set, missed on five BP chances at 4-4, served for the set, held three SP, DF'd on BP to head to a TB, then lost it 8-6 (the final point via another DF), Belgian Rumble turned to Belgian Crumble. And I don't mean some sort of tasty dessert, either.
===============================================
2. Dubai 1st Rd. - Zhu Lin def. Elise Mertens
...5-7/6-4/7-5. Zhu got her first in-season Top 100 breakthrough ranking as a result her upset Mertens just days after the Waffle had claimed her biggest career title in Doha.
===============================================
3. Fed Cup 1st Rd. Match #5 - Irina-Camelia Begu/Monica Niculescu (ROU) def. Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
... . As the world's #1 doubles team, no matter what the Swarmettes did on the other side of the net (and how great the visitors' Romanian support system was in the stands), the two-time slam champion Czechs are quite simply *expected* to win a deciding doubles match on home soil. It was Krejcikova/Siniakova's first attempt at such a thing in Fed Cup play, though, which serves to remind us that this was the first tie for CZE since Barbora Strycova voluntarily decided to bring to a close her FC career. It didn't take long for her to be missed.

With the match tight deep into the 3rd, the Czechs finally seemed to find their groove with a break to get back on serve at 4-4. But rather than seize control in the closing games, they totally lost their grip on the match. The Romanians got the break back at love, won six straight points and eight of nine overall to close out the contest in 2:44, setting off yet another national tennis celebration. The win was Niculescu's 31st in FC play (15-10/16-11), the most ever in Romanian history.


===============================================
4. Dubai 2nd Rd. - Kristina Mladenovic def. Naomi Osaka
...6-3/6-3. In her first post-AO title match (unimportant), her first since becoming #1 (not *that* important) and her first since dropping coach Sascha Bajin after a ridiculously strong 13-months (we'll soon see) it was clear that Osaka wasn't quite all there for this one. Mladenovic got her first career #1 victory, but as the match played out it would have been one of her worst losses ever had the Pastry *not* gotten the upset as it was pretty much served up on a platter for the taking. Still, Mladenovic's own game was up and down enough that she gave Osaka multiple opportunities to pull herself back into the match. She never fully did, though, and Mladenovic held serve just enough times to get the victory. She lost a round later to CSN.

===============================================
5. Acapulco 2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad def. Sloane Stephens
...6-3/6-3. Finally turning the corner in her comeback from injury, Haddad notches her first career Top 10 victory over the world #4 just weeks before her Miami title defense.
===============================================




*WEEK 9 CHAMPIONS*
ACAPULCO, MEXICO (Int'l/Hard Court Outdoor)
S: Wang Yafan/CHN def. Sonya Kenin/USA 2-6/6-3/7-5
D: Victoria Azarenka/Zheng Saisai (BLR/CHN) d. Giuliana Olmos/Desirae Krawczyk (MEX/USA) 6-2/6-2



PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wang Yafan/CHN
...Wang never really seemed as if she was going to claim her maiden tour title until, well, just before she actually did. Still, the #65-ranked player in the world has surely been showing signs of great progress since the fall.



Last November, Wang finished the season in the Top 75 for the first time after closing out the year with a $60K title, tying her career best, and a $100K QF. She opened '19 with a SF in Shenzhen, posted her second straight slam 1st Round win at the AO and reached the QF in Hua Hin. In Acapulco, after wins over Marie Bouzkova and a retiring Monica Puig, Wang defeated Beatriz Haddad in straights and then came back from a set down to defeat Donna Vekic and reach her first tour singles final. Sonya Kenin twice held a set and a break lead over Wang in the final, but Wang's steadier counterpunching game proved to be too solid for the Bannerette, her own game increasing error-prone, to maintain any sort of advantage for long. She won a 7-5 3rd to become the tour's second maiden title singles title winner this season. Kenin (Hobart) is the other.

Wang's title run makes her the ninth Chinese woman to claim a total of twenty-four WTA singles titles since Zheng Jie became the nations's first singles champion in Hobart in 2005. Wang, who'll come in at a career-best #49 in the new rankings, is a combined 18-4 since the start of her $60K title run in Liuzhou, China in November.
===============================================
RISERS: Viktorija Golubic/SUI and Jen Brady/USA
...both Golubic and Brady hit their career heights a few seasons ago. The Swiss topped out at #51 in '17 after a career year the season before that saw her star in a Fed Cup tie vs. the Czechs and reach two WTA finals (winning one), while the Bannerette was as high as #60 two years ago and had a pair of slam Round of 16 results.

Both have had resurgent opening months this season. Brady qualified in both Hua Hin and Dubai, defeating Caroline Garcia (twice) and Alona Ostapanko, then taking Petra Kvitova to three sets. Golubic qualified in Melbourne, reached the Hua Hin QF and posted a lead-solidifying Fed Cup win over Camila Giorgi vs. Italy last month. They found their way to the Indian Wells WTA 125 final this weekend without either having lost a set, with the #14-seeded Golubic taking out #1-seed Wang Qiang while the unseeded Brady upset #2 Alison Riske.

In the final, Brady was in control, leading 6-3/5-3, serving for the match at 5-4 and holding a MP. But after failing to put the match away (slamming her racket after being broken for 5-5), Brady saw Golubic firmly seize control. The Swiss won the final four games of the 2nd, then took a 4-1 lead in the 3rd en route to a 3-6/7-5/6-3 win, her biggest title since July '16 (Gstaad). She'll make a 22-spot climb nearly back into the Top 80 on Monday, just ahead of Brady, who'll rise eleven spots to #83.


===============================================
SURPRISES: Victoria Azarenka/Zheng Saisai (BLR/CHN)
...since her tearful 1st Round loss in Melbourne, Azarenka has made an effort to get on the court in doubles as well as singles. She and Dasha Gavrilova nearly knocked off eventual Saint Petersburg champs Gasparyan/Makarova in the 1st Round (10-8 deciding TB) in Russia returned to Fed Cup action with a doubles win and this week in Acapulco picked up career WD win #7, her first (not counting her MX Olympic Gold in '12) since 2011 (Stanford), teaming with Zheng Saisai (#4, first since '14). The unseeded duo, playing for the first time (they'd only even met on the court once -- in a 2015 WD match in Doha), defeated #4-seeds Guarachi/Santamaria and won 3rd set TB over Konta/Siegemund (10-6) and Fichman/Sanchez (13-11) before handling Krawczyk/Olmos 1 & 2 in the final.



Meanwhile...
===============================================
VETERAN: Victoria Azarenka/BLR
...while the double title was nice, for a while it looked as if Vika might have an even bigger week in singles. She opened up in Acapulco with dominating wins over Danielle Collins and Tatjana Maria, allowing just three games to each. In a three-set QF against Sonya Kenin, Azarenka was up a break in all three sets, only to ultimately lose in 2:32 despite the Bannerette's twelve DF. Azarenka managed to force a 3rd, though only after twice losing a double-break lead in the 2nd, and served for the win in the deciding set, only to be broken at love in a game in which she had an UE and two DF (the second when BP down). Serving to force a deciding TB, Azarenka was broken again (Kenin's eighth converted BP to Vika's seven, with the two combining for 26 BP chances) to end the match. Vika is up to #48 heading into the Indian Wells/Miami stretch during which she dominated three years ago to claim her most recent tour singles crowns.


===============================================
COMEBACK: Beatriz Haddad Maia/BRA
...finally healthy, 22-year old Haddad is currently re-climbing the WTA ladder. She put up a significant result in Acapulco, qualifying and then notching MD wins over Irina Maria Bara and #4 Sloane Stephens, her first career Top 10 win. She lost a round later to eventual champion Wang Yafan in the QF.



Haddad was ranked as high as #58 in the fall of 2017 (reaching the Seoul final) before wrist and back injuries wreaked havoc with what was set to be her "breakout" '18 campaign, causing her to fall to #184 at end of season. In 2019, she's slowly built thing back by qualifying at the AO and getting a 1st Round win (her first at a major in a year), then going 5-2 in WS/WD in Fed Cup as Brazil won the Americas I zone. She'll rise twenty-two spots to #150 on Monday, as Paraguay's Veronica Cepede Royg falls twenty-six to #175 and move Haddad up into the #2 position in South America behind Colombia's Mariana Duque-Marino at #119. The rankings will soon confirm the reality, though. Well, as long as the Brazilian can stay healthy, that is.
===============================================
FRESH FACES: Sonya Kenin/USA and Bianca Andreescu/CAN
...Kenin has yet to perfect the game that will allow her to reach her height -- the serve still needs work, and her sudden stretches of errors in Acapulco helped her squander multiple leads and likely cost her her second career title -- but she's surely a player on the move.



Back-to-back wins over retiring players (Rebecca Peterson after 7 games, Katie Boulter down 6-4/4-1) set the stage for a pair of three-set, 7-5 3rd set survivals against Victoria Azarenka (the two-time slam champ served for the match) and Bianca Andreescu to reach her second final of the year (behind only Kvitova's three appearances). It seemed to be a path that lead to her second '19 title, but the 20-year couldn't control her error total in the final against Wang Yafan. Kenin led 6-2/2-0 (and was up a break again after losing the advantage) and seemed on the verge of a dominating win, only to allow the steady Wang back into the match. In the 3rd, Kenin, while sometimes sterling in her play, could never string together enough good point/games to hold a decided advantage, then would see her play slip again and be forced to re-build her position once again. After falling down a break, she recovered to lead 5-4, only to see Wang post a love hold and then break the Bannerette to claim the title. Kenin, after her third SF-or-better result in her last nine events, will climb to a new career high of #33 on Monday.

Kenin's final victim in Acapulco was 18-year old Andreescu, who added yet another solid week to a remarkably consistent campaign that has seen her compile a 21-3 record in 2019, and go 39-6 since the U.S. Open. Wins over Jil Teichmann, Mihaela Buzarnescu and Zheng Saisai put the Canadian into her third overall semifinal of the season (2 WTA, 1 WTA 125), where she battled Kenin throughout, but the Bannerette -- who looked as if she'd barely broken a sweat, while Andreescu was positively drenched -- ultimately outlasted her in a 7-5 3rd set. Still, she'll rise to #60 in the new rankings, setting yet another career high (her fourth such feat through the season's first eight ranking Mondays).


===============================================
DOWN: Sloane Stephens/USA and Danielle Collins/USA
...both Stephens and Collins' final tune-up efforts in Acapulco as both head into the defenses of their March '18 heroics -- Sloane won Miami, while Collins put up I.W. 4th Rd. and Miami SF (w/ wins over Keys, Vandeweghe, Vekic and Venus) results -- didn't produce much to build on.

After a win over Pauline Parmentier, top-seeded Stephens was handled 3 & 3 by Beatriz Haddad as the Brazilian recorded her first Top 10 win. Collins faced off in the 1st Round with Vika Azarenka and was unceremoniously bounced, Kerber-in-Melbourne style, 1 & 2. Collins had played just one match (FC, def. Gavrilova) since her AO semifinal run, while this was Sloane's first event since her Round of 16 loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in Melbourne.
===============================================
ITF PLAYERS: Ivana Jorovic/SRB and Victoria Kan/RUS
...Ivanovic improved her career record in ITF finals to 13-2 with her win over Lu Jiajing -- her fourth consecutive three-setter in a five-win week -- in the final of the $25K challenger in Osaka. Since ending the '18 season at #185, the 21-year old Serb (having already climbed to #108 at the start of last Monday) has banked away a $100K title in November, and qualified in Shenzhen (def. Garcia in the 1st Rd.) and Dubai (losing to Sabalenka in the 2nd) as she edges ever closer to her Top 100 breakthrough.

In Antalya, Turkey, 23-year old Russian Kan picked up her second consecutive challenger title, taking career ITF crown #22 without losing a set all week. The #8 seed, Kan defeated #3-seed Cristina Dinu on he way to the final, where she defeated Italy's Camilla Scala 6-3/6-2 to close out the weekend.
===============================================
JUNIOR STARS: Clara Tauson/DEN and Alina Charaeva/RUS
...#1-ranked girl and AO junior champ Tauson, playing in her first pro event since last May, grabbed her second career challenger title at the $15K event in Monastir, Tunisia. The 16-year old Dane defeated NCAA champ Arianne Hartono (NED/Univ.of Mississippi) 6-2/6-1 in the final to take her first ITF title since November '17.

Meanwhile, at the Grade 1 Yeltsin Cup in Kazan, Russia it was the #11-seeded Hordette Charaeva, 16, who took home champion's honors with a 6-4/6-1 defeat of Latvian Daria Semenistaja (#6 seed) in the final. The #86-ranked junior, Charaeva had defeated #3-seed Viktoriya Kanapatskaya (BLR) in the semis. She's now won both junior events she's played in '19 (w/ a G3 in February), with this title run topping her previous best career Grade 1 results in the RPM Czech event (RU), College Park, Maryland (SF) and at this same Kazan tournament (SF), all coming in 2017.


===============================================
DOUBLES: Kristyna Pliskova/Evgeniya Rodina (CZE/RUS)
...Pliskova/Rodina didn't win the biggest WD title of the week, but they were impressive in their first career teaming at the WTA 125 event in Indian Wells. The duo lost just one set all week (winning an 11-9 TB to defeat Han Xinyun & Priscilla Hon in the QF) and defeated defending champs Taylor Townsend & Yanina Wickmayer 7-6/6-4 in the final. It's 30-year old Rodina's biggest doubles title, while for Pliskova it's a second 125 crown ('18 Chicago w/ Barthel) to go with the three tour-level wins she's grabbed with twin sister Karolina over the years, the last of which came in 2014.

Pliskova & Rodina had never played doubles (with or against each other) before this week, but they have played five times in singles. Rodina leads the head-to-head 3-2, with the first match coming a decade ago in a $100K challenger in 2009.


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

WHEELCHAIR: Manami Tanaka/JPN
...at the Kitakyushu Open Futures Series event in Japan, top-seeded Tanaka (world #11) defeated #2-seeded countrywoman Saki Takmuro 6-2/6-4 to take the title. Tanaka, the Japanese #2 who often teams with Yui Kamiji in international competitions like the Asian para games (they were RU in '18) also took the doubles crown with Takamuro.

Elsewhere, the story of #17 Natalia Mayara (BRA)...

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


A few more to add to the top of the "ITF pile"...








1. Acapulco Final - Wang Yafan def. Sonya Kenin
...2-6/6-3/7-5. Wang rallied from Kenin seemingly being a break away from running away with the title mid-way through the 2nd set, then came back from a break down in the 3rd. But, as always in Acapulco -- see "Sombrerenko!" the last two years -- it comes down to looking good in the headwear...



===============================================
2. Indian Wells 125 Final - Viktorija Golubic def. Jen Brady
...3-6/7-5/6-3. Riding the recent Swiss wave (Bencic, In-Albon, Sun... and now that Federling guy, too), Golubic saw Brady lead 6-3/5-3, serve for the match and hold MP, but once it slipped away things turned quickly. After sweeping the final four games of the 2nd, Golubic raced to a 4-1 lead in the 3rd and closed out her biggest win since her lone WTA title run in 2016 (Gstaad).
===============================================
3. Acapulco 2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Sloane Stephens
...6-3/6-3. Due to injury it comes a year or so later than had been anticipated, but Haddad's first Top 10 win over #4 Stephens continues to belatedly get South America's best player to where she was thought to be headed not that long ago.
===============================================
4. Acapulco 1st Rd. - Monica Puig def. Maria Sakkari
...7-5/4-6/6-0. Puig retired in the next round, but this was a nice coaching relationship-christening win for the Puerto Rican and new hire Kamau Murray.
===============================================
5. Acapulco Q2 - Conny Perrin def. Victoria Rodriguez 4-6/7-6(8)/6-2
Acapulco Q2 - Christina McHale def. Ana Sofia Sanchez 6-3/7-6(3)
Acapulco Q2 - Beatriz Haddad Maia def. Giuliana Olmos 6-3/3-6/6-3
...the trio of final qualifying round defeats left just one Mexican player in the Acapulco MD (wild card Renata Zarazua, who lost her opening match to Zheng Saisai), but Olmos rebounded to reach the doubles final with Desirae Krawczyk. The duo reached the Monterrey final last spring in Mexico, as well.
===============================================
6. Indian Wells 125 1st Rd. - Caty McNally def. Sesil Karatantcheva
...5-7/6-4/6-4. In recent weeks, the Bulgarian veteran has gotten a crash course in Bannerette teens, defeating Coco Gauff in the $25K Surprise final, losing to Ann Li in another $25K, and then falling to McNally here.
===============================================
7. Acapulco 1st Rd. - Varvara Flink def. Amanda Anisimova
...3-4 ret. It didn't come in any conventional fashion, but the 22-year old Russian (who qualified w/ wins over Astra Sharma and Sofya Zhuk) picked up her second tour-level MD win here when Anisimova retired. Coming off a $25K ITF title in Kazan, Russia the Hordette's other WTA victory came at the Moscow River Cup event last July.
===============================================
8. $25K Moscow Final - Elena Rybakina def. Ganna Poznikhirenko
...7-5/6-0. The 19-year old Moscow-born Kazakh wins her second '19 challenger crown.
===============================================
9. Acapulco 2nd Rd. - Victoria Azarenka def. Tatjana Maria
...6-2/6-1. Yeah, she lost. But Maria got a semi-iconic photo out of the deal.


===============================================
10. Acapulco QF - Sonya Kenin def. Victoria Azarenka
...6-4/4-6/7-5. Vika's near miss. She had a break lead in all three sets (including a pair of double-break edges in the 2nd, though Kenin tied things at 4-4), and served for the match up 5-4 in the 3rd. But Azarenka was broken at love, with her second DF of the game knotting things at 5-5. With an 8-7 advantage in breaks of serve, and a 37-21 lead in winners, Kenin outlasted the former #1 in 2:32.


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











1. $15K Antalya TUR Final - RINA SAIGO/YUKINA SAIGO def. Barbara Gatica/Rebeca Pereira
...4-6/6-2 [10-5]. The 18 and 22-year old Japanese sisters win their first title together. More personalized vending machines to come?


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































**WTA TITLES - CHINA**
9 - Li Na (2004,08,10-14)
4 - Zheng Jie (2005-06,12)
2 - Wang Qiang (2018)
2 - Peng Shuai (2016-17)
2 - Zhang Shuai (2013-17)
1 - Duan Yingying (2016)
1 - Sun Tiantian (2006)
1 - WANG YAFAN (2019)
1 - Yan Zi (2005)

**2019 YOUNGEST WTA SINGLES FINALISTS**
18 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (Auckland-L) - 18,6m,3w
18 - Dayana Yastremska, UKR (Hua Hin-W)
19 - Marketa Vondrousova, CZE (Budapest-L)
20 - Sonya Kenin, USA (Hobart-W)
20 - SONYA KENIN, USA (ACAPULCO-L)
20 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Brisbane-W)

**2019 UNSEEDED WTA SINGLES CHAMPIONS**
Hobart - Sonya Kenin, USA
Doha - Elise Mertens, BEL
Dubai - Belinda Bencic, SUI
ACAPULCO - WANG YAFAN, CHN

**2019 WTA FINALISTS - NORTH AMERICA**
2 - SONYA KENIN, USA (1-1)
1 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (0-1)
1 - Alison Riske, USA (0-1)
[WTA 125]
1-0 - Bianca Andreescu, CAN
0-1 - JEN BRADY, USA
0-1 - Jessica Pegula, USA

**2019 WTA FINALS IN HOME NATION**
Sydney, AUS - Ash Barty (L)
[doubles]
Shenzhen, CHN - Peng/Yang Zhaoxuan (W)
Shenzhen, CHN - Duan Yingying (L)
Auckland, NZL - Paige Mary Hourigan (L)
AO, AUS - Samantha Stosur (W)
AO MX, AUS - Astra Sharma (L)
Saint Petersburg, RUS - Gasparyan/Makarova (W)
Saint Petersburg, RUS - Anna Kalinskaya (L)
Budapest, HUN - Fanny Stollar (L)
ACAPULCO, MEX - GIULIANA OLMOS (L)

**2019 WTA CHAMPIONS BY RANKING**
#4 - Naomi Osaka, JPN (Australian Open)
#8 - Karolina Pliskova, CZE (Brisbane)
#8 - Kiki Bertens, NED (Saint Petersburg)
#9 - Petra Kvitova, CZE (Sydney)
#13 - Aryna Sabalenka, BLR (Shenzhen)
#14 - Julia Goerges, GER (Auckland)
#21 - Elise Mertens, BEL (Doha)
#45 - Belinda Bencic, SUI (Dubai)
#47 - Dayana Yastremska, UKR (Hua Hin)
#50 - Alison Van Uytvanck, BEL (Budapest)
#56 - Sonya Kenin, USA (Hobart)
#65 - WANG YAFAN, CHN (ACAPULCO)

**"QUEEN OF MEXICO" WINNERS - Acapulco/Monterrey**
2015 Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (won Acap/Mont singles)
2016 A.Medina-Garrigues/A.Parra-Santonja, ESP (won Acap/Mont WD)
2017 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, RUS (4-time Mont.WS)
2018 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR (2 con. Acapulco WS)
2019 ?
[2nd place]
2015 Caroline Garcia, FRA (RU Acap/Mont singles)
2016 Sloane Stephens, USA (Acap) & Heather Watson, GBR (Mont)
2017 Lesia Tsurenko, UKR (Acapulco WS)
2018 Giuliana Olmos, MEX (first MEX player in MONT.WD final)
2019 ?

**2019 TOP JUNIOR EVENT CHAMPIONS**
TRARALGON AUS G1: Clara Tauson/DEN
COFFEE BOWL BRA G1: Abigail Forbes/USA
RPM JUNIOR OPEN CZE G1: Kristyna Lavickova/CZE
AUSTRALIAN OPEN JUNIORS: Clara Tauson/DEN
COPA BARRANQUILLA COL G1: Savannah Broadus/USA
MUNDIAL JUVENIL DE TENIS ECU G1: Abigail Forbes/USA
ASUNCION BOWL PAR G1: Charlotte Chavatipon/USA
BANANA BOWL BRA G1: Diane Parry/FRA
PORTO ALEGRE BRA G1: Ane Mintegi Del Olmo/ESP
YELTSIN CUP RUS G1: Anna Charaeva/RUS



INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA USA (Premier Mandatory/Hard)
=WS FINALS=
1989 Manuela Maleeva d. Jenny Byrne
1990 Martina Navratilova d. Helena Sukova
1991 Martina Navratilova d. Monica Seles
1992 Monica Seles d. Conchita Martinez
1993 Mary Joe Fernandez d. Amanda Coetzer
1994 Steffi Graf d. Amanda Coetzer
1995 Mary Joe Fernandez d Natasha Zvereva
1996 Steffi Graf d Conchita Martinez
1997 Lindsay Davenport d. Irina Spirlea
1998 Martina Hingis d. Lindsay Davenport
1999 Serena Williams d. Steffi Graf
2000 Lindsay Davenport d. Martina Hingis
2001 Serena Williams d. Kim Clijsters
2002 Daniela Hantuchova d. Martina Hingis
2003 Kim Clijsters d. Lindsay Davenport
2004 Justine Henin d. Lindsay Davenport
2005 Kim Clijsters d. Lindsay Davenport
2006 Maria Sharapova d. Elena Dementieva
2007 Daniela Hantuchova d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2008 Ana Ivanovic d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2009 Vera Zvonareva d. Ana Ivanovic
2010 Jelena Jankovic d. Caroline Wozniacki
2011 Caroline Wozniacki d. Marion Bartoli
2012 Victoria Azarenka d. Maria Sharapova
2013 Maria Sharapova d. Caroline Wozniacki
2014 Flavia Pennetta d. Aga Radwanska
2015 Simona Halep d. Jelena Jankovic
2016 Victoria Azarenka d. Serena Williams
2017 Elena Vesnina d. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2018 Naomi Osaka d. Dasha Kasatkina
=WD FINALS=
1989 Mandlikova/Pam Shriver d. Fairbank/Rush-Magers
1990 Novotna/Sukova d. G.Fernandez/Navratilova
1991 FINAL RAINED OUT
1992 Kohde-Kilsch/Rehe d. Hetherington/Rinaldi
1993 Stubbs/Sukova d. Grossman/Hy
1994 Davenport/Raymond d. Bollegraf/Sukova
1995 Davenport/Raymond d. Savchenko Neiland/A.Sanchez
1996 Rubin/Schultz-McCarthy d. Halard/Tauziat
1997 Davenport/Zvereva d. Raymond/Tauziat
1998 Davenport/Zvereva d. Fusai/Tauziat
1999 Hingis/Kournikova d. MJ.Fernandez/Novotna
2000 Davenport/Morariu d. Kournikova/Zvereva
2001 Arendt/Sugiyama d. Ruano Pascual/Suarez
2002 Raymond/Stubbs d. Dementieva/Husarova
2003 Davenport/Raymond d. Clijsters/Sugiyama
2004 Ruano Pascual/Suarez d. Kuznetsova/Likhovtseva
2005 Ruano Pascual/Suarez d. Petrova/Shaughnessy
2006 Raymond/Stosur d. Ruano Pascual/Shaughnessy
2007 Raymond/Stosur d. Chan/Chan
2008 Safina/Vesnina d. Yan/Zheng
2009 Azarenka/Zvonareva d. Dulko/Peer
2010 Peschke/Srebotnik d. Petrova/Stosur
2011 Mirza/Vesnina d. Mattek-Sands/Shaughnessy
2012 Huber/Raymond d. Mirza/Vesnina
2013 Makarova/Vesnina d. Petrova/Srebotnik
2014 Hsieh/Peng d. C.Black/Mirza
2015 Hingis/Mirza d. Makarova/Vesnina
2016 Mattek-Sands/Vandeweghe d. Goerges/Ka.Pliskova
2017 L.Chan/Hingis d. Hradecka/Siniakova
2018 Hsieh/Strycova d. Makarova/Vesnina












All for now.
Posted by at