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Thursday, May 30, 2019

RG.5- A Tree Grows in Paris?

Nevertheless, Naomi Osaka persists.



You wouldn't think the world #1 and two-time slam champ could scrounge up another "surprise" run in a major after what she's already done in New York and Melbourne in the last eight months. But, well...



Osaka's run to her U.S. Open championship came on like a bull rush that few were sure was *really* going to end with her outlasting the field. Until she did just that. Everyone knew she was *capable* of winning the Australian Open, but when she was nearly sent out by Hsieh Su-wei early on (trailing 7-5/4-1 in the 3rd Rd.) it was expected that she'd come down to earth soon. Instead, she won a *second* straight slam.

The 21-year old arrived in Paris months after peeling off her Coach of the Year team member (Sascha Bajin) after reaching the #1 ranking, openly acknowledging that she's been maneuvering along her clay court learning curve while still going 7-1 (and twice exiting via walkovers) this spring, then suffering a suddenly swollen thumb that resulted in an unexpected mid-tournament withdrawal in Rome. In her opening match at this Roland Garros, she could barely find the court with her groundstrokes in the 1st set against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Even as she slowly got her feet under her, the Slovak twice served for a straights set win. Osaka survived, then dominated the final set.

Yet here Osaka was on Day 5, facing off with former #1 Victoria Azarenka (currently #43) in a match that played out with an underlying and quiet intensity more befitting a slam QF (or better) than a "measly" 2nd Rounder. Not surprisingly, Azarenka carried over her comeback-minded focus from a spring filled with good clay court results that seem to signal her game's long awaited recovery after becoming a mother, taking part in a lengthy custody battle and suffering through the sort of bad draws (like the one here) and frustrating defeats that left her tearfully wondering when (if?) all her hard work would finally pay off after experiencing a 1st Round exit at the Australian Open.

Through nearly two full sets on Thursday, Azarenka's game was crisp, a well thought out and executed attack bolstered by few unforced errors and penetrating shots that allowed her to dictate play. Directing shots down the line and often behind Osaka, she challenged the Japanese #1's court coverage and anticipation on her least favorable surface. Being made to move toward the ball, Osaka was often off-balance as Azarenka built a 4-0 1st set lead.

After getting to 5-1, though, Osaka's game began to become acclimated to the situation. Hitting more winners and cutting back on her early UE totals, she closed to 5-4. But Azarenka reeled the momentum back, taking a 40/love lead on serve and firing big serves in key situations. She held to take the set at 6-4 and looked primed to contend for her fourth career #1 victory (the first over someone not named Serena) and first ever in slam competition.



Staving off break points in her first two service games in the 2nd, Azarenka moved forward behind a deep shot and put away a break point ball to take a 3-2 lead. A running forehand crosscourt winner got the hold for 4-2. The verisimilitude of a return of the "old" Vika seemed to be a reality. The edgy, rapid fire momentum gathering pace surely looked familiar. The irritation with the ball kids not getting organized quickly enough was a reminder of the I've-got-work-to-do-so-don't-hold-me-up attitude that accompanied her two major victories in 2012-13. But could she close the deal?

As it turned out... no.

With a shot to pull away at hand, Azarenka couldn't convert a BP in game #7 that would have given her a chance to serve for the match at 5-2. Instead Osaka held for 4-3, and slowly but surely seized the match's momentum. Having failed to close the door, the Belarusian struggled to keep her opponent from bursting through it. A game later, Azarenka climbed out of a love/30 hold on serve, but couldn't claim any of the her three GP opportunities. On Osaka's third BP, a double-fault got the set back on serve at 4-4, with the world #1 having the chance to serve first and thereby put pressure on Azarenka to hold her own to keep up with her.



Down 5-6, Azarenka saved three BP in game #12, but on a fourth Osaka buried a backhand winner into the corner to break and take a 7-5 set.



Osaka, now with a new breeze behind her, saved two BP in the opening game of the 3rd set, holding with an ace. Azarenka overturned a 15/30 deficit a game later, but couldn't do it from 15/40 in game #4, falling behind 3-1. Only a break down, Azarenka allowed an error-filled game to put her behind the 8-ball in game #6. A DF made the score love/30, the another error gave Osaka triple BP. Vika slammed her racket onto the terre battue, and was soon broken at love for a 5-1 bulge on the scoreboard.

What happened in the final games revealed her slip to have been bigger than it first appeared. While Osaka *had* seized the momentum, cleaned up her game while Azarenka's had gotten a bit sloppier, and was now winning the battle of groundstrokes and anticipation that the Belarusian had taken charge of during the first half of the match, the battle *wasn't* over. While Osaka has learned over the past two years to corral the mental slides that used to doom her then-teenage self to lose big leads and be unable to find a way back into a match after squandering a lead (or, conversely, rally from a large early deficit), closing important matches is *never* a given. No matter who is involved. No matter where it is. (See Serena vs. Pliskova at this year's AO.)

Osaka had a MP at 5-1, but didn't end the contest right there. Then Azarenka got the break of serve she'd been previously seeking, and followed with a hold for 5-3. If she hadn't suffered a lapse that saw her essentially give away game #6 she might have been in position to take the match all over again. Instead, she needed a break -- of serve and in luck -- for that to happen.

She nearly got it.

Serving for the match for a second time, down BP and serving a second serve, Osaka's deep shot was perilously close to landing outside the service box. Azarenka swung at the questionable ball, failing to get it back. As she grimaced and examined the mark, and waited for a possible umpire's overrule or mark check that never came, she walked back to the right hand side of the court while TV replays seemed to show that Osaka *had* indeed double-faulted and that the set maybe rightly should have suddenly been back on serve.

But, as we learned in last year's U.S. Open final, sometimes the rules actually matter.

Rather than trying to avoid an eleventh hour collapse, Osaka took advantage of her second chance. She fired an ace. It took her two MP to finally close out the battle, but Azarenka's long return shot got the job done. Osaka's 4-6/7-5/6-3 victory keeps her Roland Garros hopes alive, having once again found a way to fight, win and survive when the odds (if not the fates) seemed against her. It's her third 3rd Round result in Paris in four appearances



We've spent years -- heck, decades -- watching Serena Williams turn tiny moments like this into launching pads for slam title runs. Osaka is not Williams, but she's already shown once this year that an early round highwire walk in a major does not disqualify her from a deep run. Not even at the slam she'd be least likely to win. This year, at least.

Of course, that sounds an awful lot like what was said in New York last summer, doesn't it? And in Melbourne, too.

If Osaka can plant and grow trees *there*, who's to say she didn't just sow a similar seed in Paris that will grow over the course of the next nine days?




=DAY 5 NOTES=
...after coming back from a 6-4/4-2 deficit yesterday vs. Laura Siegemund, but then failing to close out a 4-1 3rd set lead late in the evening before play was suspended due to darkness with the score knotted at 4-4, #15 Belinda Bencic returned to take care of her unfinished business today. It didn't take long. She immediately broke the German, then served out the win to reach her first 3rd Round at Roland Garros.



The Swiss was one of the lucky seeds, because a whole lotta heapin' helpings of upsets were served up today after no seeded woman (aside from Kiki Bertens' retirement and Bianca Andreescu's withdrawal) was beaten between the lines in a completed match on Day 4.

In all, six seeds fell on Thursday.

Down went #16 Wang Qiang, falling to Poland's Iga Swiatek in the 17-year old's fourth career MD match at a major. It's the maiden slam 3rd Round result for last year's Wimbledon girls champ.



Out went #11 Aryna Sabalenka to Amanda Anisimova. Again. The 17-year old Bannerette ran the flummoxed Belarusian off the court in Melbourne, winning 6-3/6-2 to become the youngest U.S. player to reach the AO women's Round of 16 since Jennifer Capriati in 1993. Her 6-4/6-2 win today makes her the youngest Bannerette to reach the RG 3rd Round since Serena Williams in 1998.



Sabalenka won one more game this time, and at least managed to stay with the teenager for a bit in the 2nd, answering breaks of serve to stay close at 2-1 and 3-2. But she couldn't maintain the fight back after falling behind 4-2. Anisimova finally held for 5-2, then broke the Belarusian to end the match.

Hmm, where was I? Oh, yeah.

Also ousted was #29 Maria Sakkari, one of the hottest players of the clay court spring. She fell to Katerina Siniakova, one of the most slumping players during 2019's first four months. The Czech started the year 5-10 after starring in last year's Fed Cup final. Her QF result in Prague at the start of this month was her first multiple MD win event since September. Last week she reached the semis in Nuremberg. Today's 7-6(5)/6-7(8)/6-3 win is her third multi-win clay event in what remains of May.



#21 Dasha Kasatkina's nightmare '19 season (7-11 overall, 4-4 on clay) continued, as she was knocked off by Monica Puig 6-3/6-1. The Puerto Rican's resurgence has taken place a bit under the radar this season since she took on Sloane Stephen's former coach Kamau Murray. This is Puig's first slam 3rd Round result since 2016 in Paris, which served as an early appetizer before her stunning run to the Olympic Gold in Rio later in the summer. She's 9-4 this clay season after starting the year 4-7 in tour-level Q/MD action.



Having already dropped out of the Top 10 and Top 20 since January, and failed to back up her Dubai and Indian Wells finals and RG quarterfinal, the Hordette now must try to defend last year's Premier QF at Eastbourne and Wimbledon final eight result during the grass season. Whew... this could get a lot worse before it gets better.

Oh, but it didn't end with Dasha.

#25 Hsieh Su-wei lost to Andrea Petkovic, via and 8-6 3rd set, as the German vet reaches her second straight RG 3rd Round after playing in none at the slam level since 2015. Petko reached the semis in Paris in 2014.

Late in the afternoon, #24 Caroline Garcia surprisingly (or maybe not?) failed to advance past qualifier Anna Blinkova. Garcia seemed well on her way to victory, leading 3-0 in the 3rd set against the 20-year old Hordette. But as she's done in nearly every single one of her matches over the past week, Blinkova staged a comeback precisely when her back was squarely against the wall to reach her first career slam Round of 16.




About Blinkova's crazy trip to Paris, which she just can't seem to quit...



...not *every* seed stumbled, though. While Osaka escaped, #10 Serena Williams didn't experience the slow start she did in the 1st Round against Vitalia Diatchenko, handling qualifier Kurumi Nara 3 & 2; while #8 Ash Barty reached her first RG 3rd Round with a 7-5/6-1 win over Danielle Collins. The Aussie has reached at least the 3rd Round at six of seven majors dating back to 2017.

#4 Simona Halep *seemed* well on her way to a similarly mostly-no-fuss win. But as she did in the 1st Round when she dropped the 2nd set to Ajla Tomljanovic, the defending champ let slip a 6-4/5-3 lead against Magda Linette today, failing to convert three MP and being taken to another 3rd set. Also as she did two days ago, she grabbed an early advantage in the decider. After leading 5-1, then seeing the Pole close to within 5-3, Halep finally put the match away on her fourth MP.



#14 Madison Keys couldn't close out wild card Priscilla Hon late in the day. The Aussie broke serve late in the 2nd set, then held to force a 3rd set that will be played tomorrow.

At the same time, Aleksandra Krunic had a chance to add #24 Lesia Tsurenko, cramping and doubling over between points, to the list of fallen seeds. The Serb had led 7-5/2-0 but saw the Ukrainian take things to a 3rd set. The Bracelet rallied from 4-1 down and served for the match twice, at 5-4 and 6-5, She held a MP in the closing moments of game #12 vs. the ailing Tsurenko, but was broken. They'll resume at 6-6 on Friday.

...meanwhile, though it wasn't the case of another seeded player being sent packing, Samantha Stosur came up short against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, 3-6/6-1/6-4. The Aussie has been a Roland Garros stalwart this decade, as this is the first time Stosur hasn't reached the 3rd Round in Paris since 2008.

...in doubles, #1 seeds and defending champ Barbora Krejcikova/Katerina Siniakova lost their 1st Round match to Nadiia Kichenok & Abigail Spears, 6-2/6-4. The match was played after Siniakova's three-hour singles match, so that might have had something to do with it.

Still, the two have yet to win a title this season and have gone just 3-4 since losing in the Indian Wells final (a time during which Siniakova began to pick up her singles results, and Krejcikova was often seen playing singles on the ITF circuit). The future of the Czech duo -- either later this season or after it's over -- is something to keep an eye on.

The loss could cost Siniakova the #1 doubles ranking, with Barbora Strycova and Kristina Mladenovic currently breathing down her neck. The Czech has shared (w/ Krejcikova) or held the top spot every week since last October.

...some awards info:

REVELATION LADIES: since everything is still about "Russia, Russia, Russia"... I'll go that way with the Revelation Ladies, too. In a rare Upsets Queen/RL sweep, the Hordettes' 2nd Round wins by the likes of first-time slam 3rd Rounders Anna Blinkova, Veronika Kudermetova and Ekaterina Alexandrova edge out the Bannerettes (Anisimova/Kenin) and Maidens (Vondrousova/Siniakova).

CRASH & BURN: the winner was nearly crowned today in Osaka, and I almost went with Angelique Kerber for her third RG 1st Round exit in four years. But she won back-to-back C&B "honors" in 2016-17, so I'll instead go with Alona Ostapenko for a second straight year. She's still yet to win a singles match in Paris since claiming the title in 2017 (and lost her only RG match *before* winning the tournament two years ago, as well). STT... Save the Thunder.

ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: still up for grabs, offically. Bencic (6-4/4-2 down vs. Siegemund) and Osaka (Schmiedlova served twice for match, AND Azarenka led 6-4/4-2, and had BP for 5-2) added to their resume, but Blinkova may have wrapped it up already (Q2: trailed 6-3/3-1 vs. Kalinina; Q3: trailed Glushko 3-0 in 3rd; 1st Rd.: trailed Gasparyan 4-0 in 3rd; 2nd Rd.: trailed Garcia 3-0 in 3rd) with her remarkable string of back-from-the-dead victories.

LAST PASTRY STANDING: with Garcia's loss today, she shares the earlier-than-usual award with Kristina Mladenovic and 16-year old Diane Parry, with all three exiting in the 2nd Round

NATION OF POOR SOULS: it's a good thing for the French that the Italians (none in the 2nd Rd. for the first time since 1982) already "won" this, because with today's loss by Garcia clearing the display case of all the singles Pastries there are no French women in the 3rd Round for the first time since 1986. French women went 0-6 in the 2nd Round that year.

LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: Aliona Bolsova (def. Cirstea to reach the 3rd Rd.) and Blinkova (def. Garcia) are still alive in the 3rd Rd.

LAST WILD CARD STANDING: if Priscilla Hon does indeed fall to Keys tomorrow, the Aussie will share this with Lauren Davis and Parry. If she wins, she'll take the honors all by her lonesome.




...LIKE ON DAY 5: Serena's "business bun"...



...LIKE ON DAY 5: Kaja Juvan postscript...



..."THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF WASHINGTON, Pt. 933" ON DAY 5: Imagine believing that anyone with any conceivable sense of honor, duty, justice and/or notion of doing their assigned job well in order to strengthen the foundation of any of the aforementioned ideals *actually* goes through each day with their every decision and action being a reaction to some ages-old perceived slight, grudge or feeling of inadequacy. Yeah, imagine that.





..."Ummm..." ON DAY 5: These things are a little creepy... but, that said, app-created baby Simo is cute-as-a-button.



...LIKE ON DAY 5:



...THE DAY 5 HEIGHT OF CANADIAN TENNIS TWITTER: (Now that pretty much everyone is out.)








In 2013, after years of remarkable achievement but often a decided lack of focus, Serena Williams returned to Paris one year after her biggest slam disaster... and righted the "wrong" in the most emphatic way possible.


The 2013 Roland Garros recap... here.

















*BEST 2019 SLAM RESULTS*
[qualifiers]
3rd Rd. - Anna Blinkova, RUS (RG)
3rd Rd. - Aliona Bolsova, ESP (RG)
2nd Rd. - Bianca Andreescu, CAN (AO)
2nd Rd. - Beatriz Haddad Maia, BRA (AO)
2nd Rd. - Kristina Kucova, SVK (RG)
2nd Rd. - Kurumi Nara, JPN (RG)
2nd Rd. - Astra Sharma, AUS (AO)
2nd Rd. - Iga Swiatek, POL (AO)
2nd Rd. - Natalia Vikhlyantseva, RUS (AO)
[protected ranking]
3rd Rd. - Timea Bacsinszky, SUI (AO)
2nd Rd. - Shelby Rogers, USA (RG)

*SERENA WILLIAMS at THE SLAMS - Rd.-by-Rd.*
70-1...1st Round ['12 RG: Razzano]
68-2...2nd Round ['98 AO: Venus; '14 RG: Muguruza]
59-8...3rd Round
50-8...4th Round
36-14...Quarterfinals
31-5...Semifinals
23-8...Finals
[three-setters]
64-23 overall
AO: 16-7
RG: 18-8
WI: 17-4
US: 13-4

*RG "REVELATION LADIES" WINNERS' NATION/REGION*
2006 France
2007 Italy
2008 Czech Republic
2009 Australia
2010 Germany
2011 North America
2012 France
2013 North America/Atlantic
2014 Spain
2015 Australia (The New Aussies)
2016 France
2017 Muslim women
2018 Romania
2019 Russia

*RG "LAST PASTRY STANDING"*
2008 Alize Cornet & Emilie Loit (3rd)
2009 Virginie Razzano & Aravane Rezai (4th)
2010 Marion Bartoli & Aravane Rezai (3rd)
2011 Marion Bartoli (SF)
2012 Mathilde Johansson (3rd)
2013 M.Bartoli, A.Cornet & V.Razzano (3rd)
2014 Pauline Parmentier (4th)
2015 Alize Cornet (4th)
2016 A.Cornet, K.Mladenovic & P.Parmentier (3rd)
2017 Caroline Garcia & Kristina Mladenovic (QF)
2018 Caroline Garcia (4th)
2019 C.Garcia, K.Mladenovic & D.Parry (2nd) #
--
#: the last time w/ no FRA woman in 3rd Rd. was 1986

*RG "CRASH-AND-BURN" WINNERS*
2008 Serena Williams, USA (3rd Rd.)
2009 Elena Dementieva, RUS (3rd Rd.)
2010 Dinara Safina, RUS (1st Rd.)
2011 Kim Clijsters, BEL (2nd Rd.)
2012 Serena Williams, USA (2nd Rd.)
2013 Caroline Wozniacki, DEN (2nd Rd.)
2014 Serena Williams, USA (2nd) & Li Na, CHN (1st/AO champ)
2015 Simona Halep, ROU (2nd Rd.)
2016 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd./AO champ)
2017 Angelique Kerber, GER (1st Rd., earliest RG #1 ever)
2018 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd., earliest RG DC since '05)
2019 Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.; zero RG wins before/after '17 title)

**RG "EARLY-ROUND TOP PLAYER" WINNERS**
2002 (Week 1 POW) Serena Williams, USA *
2003 (Week 1 co-POW) Serena Williams, USA & Kim Clijsters, BEL
2004 (Week 1 POW) Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2005 (Week 1 POW) Kim Clijsters, BEL
2006 Amelie Mauresmo, FRA
2007 Justine Henin, BEL *
2008 Ana Ivanovic, SRB *
2009 Dinara Safina, RUS
2010 Venus Williams, USA
2011 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2012 Maria Sharapova, RUS *
2013 Serena Williams, USA *
2014 Simona Halep, ROU
2015 Angelique Kerber, GER
2016 Lucie Safarova, CZE
2017 Samantha Stosur, AUS
2018 Elina Svitolina, UKR
2019 Karolina Pliskova, CZE
--
* - won title





TOP QUALIFIER: #22q Elena Rybakina/KAZ
TOP EARLY-ROUND (1r-2r): #2 Karolina Pliskova/CZE
TOP MIDDLE-ROUND (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-ROUND (SF-F): xx
TOP QUALIFYING MATCH: Q3: #1q Bernarda Pera/USA def. #21q Kaja Juvan/SLO 6-4/1-6/7-6(1) [Juvan up break three times in 3rd, served at 5-4]
TOP EARLY-RD. MATCH (1r-2r): 2nd Rd. - #1 Naomi Osaka/JPN def. Victoria Azarenka/BLR 4-6/7-5/6-3 (down 6-4/4-2, BP for 5-2)
TOP MIDDLE-RD. MATCH (3r-QF): xx
TOP LATE-RD. MATCH (SF-F/Jr.): xx
=============================
FIRST VICTORY: #31 Petra Martic/CRO (def. Jabeur/TUN)
FIRST SEED OUT: #5 Angelique Kerber/GER (1st Rd./Potapova)
UPSET QUEENS: Russia
REVELATION LADIES: Russia
NATION OF POOR SOULS: Italy (0-2, none in RG 2nd Round for first time since 1982)
LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: In 3rd Rd.: Blinkova, Bolsova
LAST WILD CARD STANDING: In 2nd Rd.: Davis(L), Hon(x), Parry(L)
LAST PASTRY STANDING: Carolina Garcia, Krisinta Mladenovic & Diane Parry (all 2nd Rd.)
MADEMOISELLE/MADAM OPPORTUNITY: xx
IT "??": Nominees: Swiatek, Anisimova, Vondrousova
COMEBACK PLAYER: Nominees: Petkovic, Puig, Azarenka
CRASH & BURN: Alona Ostapenko, LAT (1st Rd.; zero RG wins before/after '17 title)
ZOMBIE QUEEN OF PARIS: Nominees: Blinkova (Q2: trailed 6-3/3-1 vs. Kalinina; Q3: trailed Glushko 3-0 in 3rd; 1st Rd.: trailed Gaspayarn 4-0 in 3rd; 2nd Rd.: trailed Garcia 3-0 in 3rd); #1 Osaka (1st Rd.-Schmiedlova served twice for match; 2nd Rd.-Azarenka led 6-4/4-2, BP for 5-2); #15 Bencic (2nd Rd.-Siegemund led 6-4/4-2; lost 4-1 lead in 3rd and finished next day)
DOUBLES STAR: xx
VETERAN PLAYER (KIMIKO CUP): xx
JUNIOR BREAKOUT: Nominee: Parry (young MD winner since '09)
Légion de Lenglen HONOREE: Court Simonne-Mathieu
Coupe LA PETIT TAUREAU: awarded on LPT Day/June 1




All for Day 5. More tomorrow.
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